Albums In My Collection

– Angling Feelings
– In The Wake Of Evolution
– Keyholder
– Mindrevolutions
– Notes From The Past
– Sattyg
– Vittjar

An Overview

This band from Sweden has the uncanny ability to truly kick my ass. Although, at this point in time, I’m still unfamiliar with their early releases (from the 1970s and ’80s), getting “into them” just as the new decade began when they reformed with basically a new line-up, and thus, I started listening to only their newest releases. And, surprisingly and thankfully, each album gripped me.

Everything Kaipa delivers is ultra-professional, from the performances of each musician down to the high-quality production. The melodies of their songs are generally engaging, and their arrangements will have most lovers of Prog-Rock in a perpetual heavenly bliss. The bottom line…every album the band has released since reappearing back in 2002 has been a 4- or a 4.5-Star rating from me, each featuring countless jaw-dropping moments, with each album close to perfection.

For those unfamiliar with the band, they play a generally bright, highly complex version of Symphonic Progressive Rock, with a perfect mixture of extended and shorter tracks, an impressive range of instruments, and both male and female vocals with rich harmonies. And grand KUDOS to Aleena, the female vocalist, whose style and delivery and range are extraordinarily! The tracks where she is featured are typically my favorites.

In many ways, Kaipa sounds similar to The Flower Kings when it comes to their overall sound and musical approach, and that’s certainly not a fluke, considering that Roine Stolt (founder of The Flower Kings) was also the guitarist of the original Kaipa back in the ’70s and also involved in the band’s resurgence within the first half of the new decade. Like the band The Tangent, due to their own connection to Roine, I place Kaipa firmly in the “Offshoots of The Flower Kings” category, whether they deserve the classification or not. Be that as it may, keyboardist Hans Lundin truly deserves a round of applause for “keeping the dream alive,” being (I believe) the only consistent member of the band since their formation, and thus, is the grand master of the entire affair, despite Roine’s occasional involvement.

If I had to offer any negative critique to the band, it’s that the majority of their albums can be, in my eyes, overly long. This is the same critique I would also offer to both The Flower Kings and The Tangent. But frankly, I’d much rather have too much new music with each album than too little, so my critique is quite minor in the grand scheme of things, especially to a band that offers such wonderful material.

Highly recommended for all Prog-Rock fans!