In the 1970s, Kansas were arena rock behemoths. Their music was a unique blend consisting of the hooks of pop rock, the crunchy guitars of hard rock, and the musical intricacies of progressive rock. It was this classic sound that launched Kansas to superstardom, selling in excess of 30 million albums worldwide. As the decades went on, so did Kansas. The 80s saw them get lost in the AOR haze, even briefly espousing the virtues of Christ (see Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures). The classic lineup regrouped in the 90s. A series of albums followed, though none as focused as those landmark 70s albums.
The 21st century raged on and Kansas became relegated to nostalgia status…that is until 2016. Enter The Prelude Implicit. This was their first album with new singer, Ronnie Platt. I’m not sure what was in the water, but for the first time in nearly 40 years, Kansas was able to recapture the magic that made them so beloved in the first place. The Prelude Implicit was a triumph, revered by fans and critics alike. When it came time for a followup, the stakes were high.
Does The Absence of Presence carry on (no pun intended) the perfection put in place by The Prelude Implicit? Kind of. The title track opens the album in grand fashion and is, in my humble opinion, the greatest song this incarnation of Kansas has written to date. This lush, atmospheric epic starts out slow, builds up to a hard rocking three way battle between organ, violin, and Rich Williams’ signature blistering guitar, and eventually resolves back to the beginning. Ronnie Platt’s vocals are a dead ringer for Steve Walsh. They’re so dead on, most would never know Walsh left!
The following two songs are “Throwing Mountains” and “Jets Overhead”. Both were released as singles leading up to the album’s release. Both are also representative of where The Absence of Presence lies creatively as an album. These are perfectly balanced exercises in progressive and hard rock. There seems to be less focus on melody and more focus on, “Hey! Look what we can do with our instruments!”, especially on the flashy instrumental, “Propulsion 1”. This isn’t a bad thing. If you’re a Kansas diehard or prog nerd (I happen to be both), you’ll be in heaven. I just feel whereas Prelude was for everyone, Absence has more niche appeal. Think an album of “Magnum Opus”es.
When it comes to Kansas, the lyrics play just as important a role as the music. Surprisingly, the bulk of the lyrics for Absence were written by the latest addition to the Kansas ranks, keyboardist Tom Brislin. Drummer/founder Phil Ehart contributes as well, as does Platt. However, it’s Brislin who channels the energy of ex-Kansas guitarist/oracle Kerry Livgren with astute, philosophical observations on the mysteries/questions of life.
As much as I enjoy the virtuosic progressive hard rock which dominates the majority of Absence, I also took a special liking to the two ballads, “Memories Down the Line” and “Never”. These piano centric tracks are nostalgic, delicate, touching, yet some of the hardest hitting songs on the album. I’ve said it before. You don’t always need a Marshall stack turned to 11 to leave a lasting impact. If you’re loud and have nothing to say, what’s the point? (Lemmy is nodding somewhere in approval to that last sentence.)
The Absence of Presence doesn’t reach the same heights as The Prelude Implicit, but it was never trying to. Absence has established itself as its own being: a compendium of well crafted and thought out classic Kansas compositions, each harboring its own unique identity. Some may call it a late career renaissance. I call it a new chapter in the never ending saga of Kansas. We’re just lucky to be living through one of the more exciting chapters.
8 out of 10
Label: InsideOut Music
Genre: Progressive Rock
For fans of: Yes, Asia, Dream Theater