Product Description

This is the Special Edition 2 CD version of Dave Kerzner’s third solo album “The Traveler”. In addition to the main album on disc 1, you get 18 additional tracks on disc 2 including the 50+ minute 15-part musical journey through the past and present called “The Dream Realm” plus 3 bonus tracks. “The Traveler” is a concept album and the third in a trilogy following Kerzner’s “New World” and “Static”. It features an all star cast of musicians such as Fernando Perdomo (Echo In The Canyon), Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd), Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson, Aristocrats), Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train, Genesis), Billy Sherwood (Yes, Asia), Jon Davison (Yes), Matt Dorsey (Sound of Contact), Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree), Francis Dunnery (It Bites), Joe Deninzon (Stratuspheerius), Alex Chod (Yatte) and many others.

Review

... The album starts with ‘Another Lifetime’ – a Floyd/Beatles hybrid composition with a great lead solo by Perdomo. The song shows the grittier edge to Kerzner’s voice, which fits perfectly. Marco Minnemann’s drumming, as always, is highly impactful. The drummer maintains the pace in ‘Ghostwritten Fables’, a song that again features his innovative and staccato percussion, this time within a symphonic construct. The lyrics are philosophical, about a ‘wild human race,’ and the scene for the album is well set. ‘A Time In Your Mind’ has a Prog-Reggae feel (if there is such a thing) and Nick D’Virgilio delivers it with aplomb. (Equal to Minnemann in the significance of his contributions, D’Virgilio plays drums on most of the remaining tracks.) An existential reminder to ‘Wake up’, the lyrics of the song are not quite as pretentious as you might suspect, and Kerzner’s voice is tested in range from the low growl of the verse to the high wail of the bridge. The song is strongly reminiscent of latter-day Genesis. ‘For Granted’ is the best acoustic melody on the album and features a cameo from Steve Hackett. Very sweet and pleasing to the ears, it allows for Kerzner’s doubled vocal delivery to be measured and effective in the mix. The song definitely has a pop hook and sound, perhaps akin to the Beatles. The pinnacle of the album is reached in the final number ‘Here and Now Part 2’. The best song on the album, this is unreservedly classic-era Genesis in 7/8, down to a Tony Banks-style keyboard solo that could have been lifted verbatim from ‘Dance on a Volcano.’ This similarity does not make the song any less enjoyable, and the climax is huge, with Sherwood and D’Virgilio in typically thunderous form. The track brings the album to an enthralling apex, ending with a reference to both the opening song and to ‘Part 1’. A monster of a track, though more concise than you would imagine, ‘Here and Now Part 2’ will make Genesis fans think that they have woken up in an alternate reality Heaven, in which ‘Trick of the Tail’ and Selling ‘England by the Pound’ have just been released in edited form. ‘The Traveler’ is an album that is about two things: collaboration and the re-visitation of Classic Prog. Although naturally keyboard-heavy, the guitars and vocals are equally and organically threaded into the fabric of the album, showing Kerzner’s true collaborative intent. Every performer delivers up to his/her usual standard, but none is excessively showcased. The composition of each song is always served first, and the delivery is therefore elegant and refined. To put it plainly, Dave Kerzner’s music is very clearly inspired by his forebears, but that does not detract from this album at all. He brings the best days of Prog back to current day with clear intent, and he contextualizes his compositional tributes and homages with contemporary lyrics and slick modern production. ‘The Traveler’ is enough to make you dance on a volcano in 2022, just like a moonlit knight. --The Prog Report

Where progressive rock and Sci-Fi you'll find Dave Kerzner. First launching into the prog-rock stratosphere with Simon Collins in Sound of Contact, Kerzner has continued his fascination with interstellar story-lines throughout his solo career, even forming a separate super-group - In Continuum - to tell more tales. On this third (studio) album attributed solely to his, Kerzner continues the plot of a character introduced in previous albums but to the casual listener this facet can happily fly above their head while just enjoying good music. Simply put, "The Traveler is Kerzner's most direct and accessible album yet, a good move at this point his career and one which will likely be embraced by most fans. For more of this review visit the Sonic Perspectives website and search Dave Kerzner The Traveler --SonicPerspectives.com

This time around, Kerzner’s solo writing is the strongest it has ever been. If you want prog epics, go to Arc of Life (where Kerzner collaborated on the best Yes album of the past decade, despite the ABWH-like absurdity whereby the musicians creating the masterpiece don’t call themselves “Yes”), but if you want concise mastery of the art of songwriting, check out The Traveler masterclass, where Kerzner’s lyrics rise to the highest level in order to fully complement his sonic world of wonders. The B-side of the album (tracks 5 to 9), however, could be considered a prog-length suite, since tracks 5 and 9 (“Here and Now”, Parts 1 and 2) act as an impressive frame for the seamless sonic journey that unfolds over the inner tracks 6 to 8 (“Better Life,” “Cannot Get It Back,” and “Feels Like Home”). “Here and Now, Part 2” is itself worth the price of admission for the entire disc. Genesis fans will smile as Kerzner takes a page out of the Genesis playbook and cleverly references “Cinema Show” at the beginning of the track, and he then proceeds to put Tony Banks’ keyboard sounds to further exciting use. With Nick D’Virgilio on drums and Billy Sherwood on bass powering the song, the track brings the album to an exhilarating climax, ending with a reference to both the opening track “Another Life” and also to the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life.” The Genesis keyboard tricks are deployed throughout the album, on tracks like “A Time in Your Mind” (which sounds like 80s Genesis), confirming Kerzner as the premier keyboard wizard of our time. The keyboard sounds on this album are consistently jaw-dropping and make it immensely pleasurable for listen after listen. D’Virgilio plays on most of the album, but there’s also Marco Minnemann on tracks 1 and 2. “Ghostwritten Fables” (track 2), in particular, exhibits such astonishingly virtuosic drumming that it proves what a huge difference it makes to have only the highest echelon talent behind the kit on any song. Because Kerzner is the coolest guy in prog, he gets collaboration from amazing musicians on every track. Check out the credits (found at the end of this review) for many other eye-popping surprise appearances here, like Steve Hackett and David Longdon. Speaking of Longdon, “For Granted” serves up a poignant mediation on loss, making it another highlight on an album full of unusually strong songs. In addition to the Genesis inspirations and literal keyboard references, Kerzner also crafts his own unique sound, which on this disc seems to infuse an uplifting slab of Sigur Ros-like walls of sound into Kerzner’s signature blend. It’s yet more proof that we are living, here and now, in nothing less than the best days of prog. I think with this particular sound blend on The Traveler, Kerzner has truly found his own distinguishing keyboard sound that is nonetheless rooted in the tradition of the greatest. The organic way in which the guitars are interwoven into the songs, especially on the standout track “Better Life” with its cathartic guitar textures, is unexpected from a solo artist like Kerzner who specializes in delivering the highest level of keyboard experiences. But it’s more proof of Kerzner’s ability to collaborate with only the best, and yet at the same time draw from them their very best playing on each of the tracks. No one is ever showboating, but yet they all manage to impress with their dedication to an exalted sonic service of the song. Fernando Perdomo, in particular, again leaves his indelible mark on a Kerzner album, as he seems to be an indispensable half of the Kerzner dynamic duo... This is some of the best prog you will hear, especially if you appreciate subtle art and elegant audio refinements. It’s a shoo-in for the year’s top ten, and Progarchy salutes Dave Kerzner for making the world a better place, and for showing us the way to living a better life. --Progarchy.com

About the Artist

Dave Kerzner is a progressive rock singer, keyboardist, songwriter and producer who is best known for his solo albums and his work with the bands Sound of Contact, Arc of Life (featuring members of Yes), In Continuum, Mantra Vega and Kevin Gilbert’s Thud. His music has been compared to bands like Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Yes and The Beatles. Kerzner co-wrote and co-produced Sound of Contact’s album “Dimensionaut” which won the “Limelight Award” in the Progressive Music Awards in 2013. He was also nominated in the Progressive Music Awards for “Anthem of the Year” in 2015 for his song “Stranded” which featured Steve Hackett of Genesis.