by Erik Neuteboom Date Added: Thursday 13 November, 2008 SURVIVAL – Crusader (****) - This is a musical project by Dutch keyboard player Jack Langevelt, a huge fan of the Seventies symphonic rock and the late keyboard wizard Rick Van Der Linden. Between 1981 and 1997 Survival existed in its first line-up, then disbanded but fortunately Jack didn’t give up and now we can enjoy the Musea release of his first album entitled Crusader (2008). - From the very first moment I listened to this instrumental album, I was carried away to Vintage Keyboard heaven, what a wonderful and often compelling keyboard driven symphonic rock: a tight rhythm with a lush and powerful, Jon Lord-like Hammond sound, fiery guitar and propulsive drum work in The Holy Land, orchestral keyboards in the melancholical Lamentation, a long and swirling Hammond solo and howling duo-guitar in the titletrack, a slow rhythm with pitchbend driven synthesizer work and lush Hammond organ (like Procol Harum) in I Cried For You, sparkling piano, exciting Hammond and synthesizer play and splendid Gilmourian guitar in Exceptional Friend, majestic church organ in The Knights Templar, sensational interplay between keyboard (including a choir-Mellotron sound), guitar and rhythm-section with lots of great solos on keyboards and guitar and a compelling duet between synthesizer and guitar in the long Montsigard and a dreamy final track entitled After All featuring beautiful interplay between warm piano and soaring keyboards. It's a subtle conclusion of an often bombastic and compelling sounding album that frequently reminds me of Trace and Japanese progrock band Gerard (but I wonder or Jack has ever heard of that Japanese progrock band). - Anyway, a big hand for Dutch formation Survival and big alert for the vintage keyboard aficionados!