Source: www.rockszene.de

RWPL – World Through my Eyes

There are a lot of progressive and symphonic rock bands and they release a whole lot of records, consequently a single band can’t stand out of the masses with their album. When Bavarian band RWPL from Freising released their record “Trying to Kiss the Sun” in 2002, they didn’t seem to become prog-rock heaven’s new star.

By then the band were quite professional and their CD was ok, but even their output “Stock” from 2003 couldn’t really be considered as being a must in their scene. It was solid music, but nothing more for the spoiled listeners of prog-rock.

Their current release “World Through my Eyes” however surprisingly hits the bull’s eye, catapulting them into the international premier league of prog-rock. It is a very professional and precise composition. Instead of providing excessive and complex arrangements for the “musicians’ police”, as is the case with some other prog-rock bands, RWPL offer compact and melodic song writing without being trapped in the “3-minute-single-category”.

They still offer prog – sometimes with psychedelic synthesizer-solos, and even oriental percussion can be heard in their opulent arrangements with voluminous sound – but RWPL always stick to doing a “song”. They sound inspired, fresh and with a lot of variety.

By the way, with his lead vocals on “Roses”, track no. 4, no less a person than Ray Wilson (former lead singer with Genesis) definitely enhances this very song. But it’s not just for this reason that “World Through my Eyes” reminds of Genesis’ record “Calling all Stations” from 1997 or some of Pink Floyds recent records. RWPL stand their ground somewhere in between.

This is really a recommendable, wonderful and exciting record.

www.rwpl.de

(translation © by Anne Weber)