Forty-Forty is a project by two childhood friends from The Hague: Eric Schulp (keyboards) and Mark Vermin (guitar). Years ago, they decided to celebrate their fortieth birthday by making an album. In my review of its follow-up, Forty-Two, I was enthusiastic about their 70s-style prog, though I did criticize its dynamics. Now their fifth creation, Sixty-Five, has been released, and once again it’s up to me to share my thoughts. Well – gladly.

 

The album completely immerses me in virtuosic retro-prog in the vein of Camel, Renaissance, and especially Rick Wakeman, while also tastefully incorporating elements of jazz, classical music, film scores, and even a touch of metal. Everything sounds much more mature, and the overall production is deeper and richer. Sixty-Five has become a welcome regular in my CD player.

 

The album is largely instrumental; only three out of the eleven tracks feature vocals. Because each of these songs is sung by a different female vocalist with a similar vocal tone, the album maintains a good flow. If I had to describe the music in a single word, “majestic” would probably come closest. Naturally, there are plenty of tempo and mood changes to keep you engaged. Technical skill abounds here.

 

Diversity opens the album in a typical way. It begins somewhat New Age-like and evolves into an excellent prog track filled with deep bass lines, stately guitar arpeggios, elegant keyboard melodies, and cutting guitar work. It sets the stage perfectly for what’s to come. The following track, Revelations, kicks off with force but quickly settles into wonderfully melodic prog waters. Outstanding drumming by Elvin den Haan guides you through the measures. The track also treats you to dreamy keyboard chords, spacey vocals, and a wild keyboard solo that would make Wakeman proud.

 

As mentioned, Schulp and Vermin also made sure to add stylistic variety. On Connect, Eternal Friendship, and New World, we hear various blends of jazz and pop. I should note that the female vocalists thankfully steer clear of scale-acrobatics. A real highlight is the two-part suite Steve’s Shadow. The first part leans into classical and cinematic sounds, while the second focuses on slow, sweeping symphonic rock.

 

With the tracks Flashbacks, Deferred Desire, and Ups And Downs, the band returns to its own signature style. These are solid contributions, but the final track, Symphonic Journey, is so much better that they end up competing with themselves. What a phenomenal piece. I’m not even going to try to describe it—you’ll find it on our Spotify playlist. Then you can hear for yourself that the bombast is truly next-level.

 

Finally, I’d like to emphasize that Schulp and Vermin don’t make music for profit. All of their albums are available on Spotify. Their joy is your joy.