Customer Reviews

World Through My Eyes

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would like to highly recommend this CD. This band really surprised me. I had heard that they were a Pink Floyd tribute band, which I expected to be mediocre, but was nicely suprised to hear a band that is right up there with recent releases such as Porcupine Tree "Deadwing", Kino "Picture", and Ray Wilson "Ray Wilson Live", which to me are the 3 best CDs so far this year. This one is equally on the mark! And I had never previosly heard of these guys! When I heard that Ray Wilson sang on one track I decided to give it a try. Excellent vocals and all round musicianship, great songwriting. Kind of a mix of old Genesis, Camel, and Porcupine Tree, maybe a touch of Floydian influence. Really very original and not exactly like any of the bands mentioned, just touches that reminded me of them. If you like keeping up with the most advanced music of our times, pick this one up!

I would highly recommend this release to fans of Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd or Riverside. The production is great and the songwriting top-notch. Very rich melodies, excellent instrumentation and smooth, calming vocals abound. Much has been said of comparisons to Floyd, but I find the vocals and the use of organ on some tracks the only real similarities. To me, the guitar sound is more similar to U2 (which isn't a bad thing!) The albums starts off very nicely with "Sleep" (which isn't a sleeper at all,) and continues very nicely with some other great melodies. My favorites are "Sleep," Everything Was Not Enough," and "Roses," although none of the tracks are weak. More accessible than Pink Floyd, but still complex enough to entertain any prog fan.

No matter what anyone else says, to downplay the fact that these guys sound like Floyd is to ignore the obvious. To be specific the David Gilmour era - TDB and TDSOT. There is also a heavy Beatle influence on a few songs. To me, that is a good thing! With that said they aren't clones, they do have their own sound. The songs are very smooth and the cd is very well produced and polished. Too bad that they will never get airplay in the US market. This is also available as an SACD hybrid in both stereo and 5.1 surround. If you have a system capable of playing sacd in 5.1 then I suggest you search it out. The first time that slide guitar comes through the center speaker (about a minute into the first song) you will be glad you did. If you like melodic rock with a very heavy Floyd influence then you need to check this out.

RPWL is a German-born group that started out as a Pink Floyd tribute act. While the Floyd influence is clear, this band should not be dismissed as a knock-off. "Roses" has a melodic beauty that the Pink rarely aimed for, while "Start the Fire" and "Wasted Land" show a distinctive knack for hooks. This is definitely progressive rock, but in more traditional bytes (not 20-minute forays). There are moments when they sound as much like the Moody Blues or Saga as Floyd but, in any case, any fan of prog should definitely give a listen.

This was "recommend" to me by Amazon.com based on previous purchases. Some of their recommendations are dead on, others way off... this one hit in the middle.

First few listens I thought it was good but kind of mellow, so it went on the shelf for a bit. Repeated spins are always required before coming to a final evaluation, unfortunately, my initial reaction was correct. Some have labeled this disc progressive rock, but I would call it well-crafted pop. The engineering and production is good but the songs just don't stand out. "Sleep" is a nice opener with a cool groove. "Roses" and "Day on My Pillow" are both excellent pop tunes. The ballad "Everything Was Not Enough" (another good song) has subtle influences of Pink Floyd and The Beatles. The beginning of title track has some Indian influenced instrumentation that segues into a Gabriel sounding tune. The Steve Hillage copy tune "Sea-Nature" seems out of place and the original is much better. The other songs seem to be filler and are skipped over.

As always, people's tastes differ and some will think this is an amazing disc. It's definitely worth a listen.

I guess this album put them on the map of great progressive rock albums. Searching for great progressive rock albums was how I found both RPWL and Sylvan, 2 jewels shining under the radar still in 2009. The structure of RPWL songs is truly progressive and unique. My favorite songs of WTME are Wasted Land and Roses but Sleep and Sea Nature are also great and the rest of the album is very strong. World Through My Eyes was their 4th album released in 2005. You have to remember that with RPWL it is sometimes great music, at other times less music but still great atmosphere. And Yogi's lyrics get into you as well. Both Wasted Land and Roses have it all. This is an exellent album although it may take you a little time to get into it. It took me a few listens as well...The following are my favorite songs of RPWL: Farewell, Wasted Land, God Has Failed, Masters Of War, Home Again, Crazy Lane, The Way It Is, Perceptual Response, Reach For The Sun, Wait Five Years, Roses, The Gently Art Of Swimming, Waiting For A Smile, Sea-Nature, Hole In The Sky. Black Despair is an amazing song as well (from Kalle Wallner's solo Blind Ego album).

This band is awesome, they sound like a mix between all the great progressive rock bands especially early Genesis and King Crimson and in some ways they sound better because they don't sound dated at all and they have such an original sound. When I first started listining to this album I didn't really like it because I wasn't expecting much and I didn't give it the amount of attention it deserved. After a couple listens I was completly blown away by such songs as Sleep, Everything Was Not Enough, 3 Lights, and Day On My Pillow, every song on it is amazing.I think that this is a concept album about religion and I really hope that you buy this album because it is truly life changing and this band deserves to be heard.

World Through My Eyes is the first and only disc I own from German progressive rock band, RPWL. Strange as it may seem, I never thought a band with a name like that would be making such sophisticated, cerebral music. I only decided to give them a listen when they signed to InsideOut releasing their debut with them, and fourth album in total. The band comes from Germany and consists of Yogi Lang on vocals and keyboards, Karlheinz Wallner on guitars, Stephan Ebner on bass and Manfred Muller on drums. Former Genesis singer, Ray Wilson, appropriately described as "one of the finest voices in rock music" by InsideOut, also appears as a guest singer on one track.

A little research online about RPWL revealed that frontman Yogi Lang was formerly in a Pink Floyd tribute band, and the earlier releases of RPWL were also heavily Floyd-inspired. Most reviews I read about this disc mentioned that they've finally started to grow away from that and develop a more personal style. As much as that may be true, it is still not too difficult to trace the band's profound love for Floyd, not so much in the shorter songs, but in the relatively lengthier pieces that are definitely centred around a Gilmour-ish musical understanding. Take the fifth track, "3 Lights", as an example. It's got an epic edge, very Gilmour-like guitar solos where each note makes sure it touches you, and a nice psychedelic overall vibe created by lush synth work. "Sea Nature" and the title track aren't too different either. The latter at over 10 minutes borrows various Middle Eastern melodies and melts them into a bluesy and progressive soundscape. There's a lengthy instrumental section in the middle and it's so beautiful you don't even want it to end. Near the end of the song, you'll hear some modern electronic keyboard patches that sharply contrast the previously introduced Middle Eastern elements. Once you concentrate on Lang's lyrics, you will also discover that this album focuses heavily on the lyrics, discussing and criticising mankind's current materialistic way of life. Without doubt, this is an album with a strong message and spiritual lyrics about the shortcomings of humanity "through his eyes". The difference between West and East is also nicely portrayed on the album cover; on the front, you'll see the band members in the middle of colourful flowers on a field wandering happily, being one with nature; while, upon turning the back of the CD sleeve, you'll see a picture of modern and high buildings built by the side of an artificial lake with their reflection shining on it. At first, I found the artwork rather bland, but after paying attention to the lyrics, they seemed to make great sense.

That said, the music on this disc is no where near what you'd consider "heavy"; it's very vocal-oriented and easy listening. "Roses", sung by Ray Wilson, is an excellent interpretation about the individual's loneliness. Wilson gives the song its needed life and expression, delivering Lang's lyrics emotionally. The album picks up in tempo, displaying more guitar work from Karlheinz Wallner, but as I said, the music is generally slow played through expressive guitar solos with occasional analog keys and a fitting rhythm section. Recommended to fans of Kino, Blackfield, non-prog period Genesis and 80's Yes. RPWL doesn't necessarily sound like any of these bands, but I can see some listeners of theirs digging Through My Eyes.

The album is decent - some good tunes. But some of the songs that are longer get boring because there is no new music introduced - they just keep repeating the basic tune. Also, I am not exactly sure why this is considered prog. It certainly doesn't come close to the masters of prog like Genesis, Marillion, Flower Kings, IQ, etc. I wouldn't buy any more of their CD's based on this one.

If you're a progressive rock aficionado and you're not familiar with RPWL, you're gonna love them. This is the only album I have heard by them and it's terrific. Like I've done many times before, I wasn't impressed with World Through my Eyes on the first spin and set it aside. About a month later I gave it another spin and did a 180. I probably dismissed the album the first time, because I tend to like a faster and heavier version of progressive music, such as progressive metal, however at this time, I had been on a progressive rock kick, after gorging myself on another pleasing progressive rock discovery I had made - Eloy. Coincidently both bands hale from Germany.

RPWL

Funny name, isn't it? Well I can guarantee you that while the name is funny their music is exceptional, if not innovative. If there's a band that reminds me of Porcupine Tree, it would be RPWL. They also resemble Anathema and Pain of Salvation and surprise, surprise, Pink Floyd. Why do I say that? Because RPWL started in 1997 as a Pink Floyd cover band but these guys were to good to keep being a cover band and in 2000 released their first album - God has Failed, followed in 2002 with Trying to Kiss the Sun and Stock in 2003. This year they have released their fourth album - World Through My Eyes, which many say is their best yet.

World Through My Eyes

Yes RPWL is an uninteresting name. So is the album cover. This must be one of those stealth albums you've heard about. You know, the ones that disarm you with low expectations, then blow your mind. World Through My Eyes is a well done, atmospheric, almost spacey, progressive rock (they call it symphonic metal) with some hard rock elements that weaves a superlative blend of accessible and progressive genres into a very professional product.

Highlights

"Sleep" features the melding of heavy instrumentation with mellow vocals. Lead singer Yogi Lang appears to have one or two ladies backing his vocals on this one. It opens with a sitar but is taken shortly by heavy guitar laden riffs that set a heavy tone for this multi-tempo seven minute song.

"Start the Fire" is another medium paced rock number with some inventive hooks and a catchy melody. It also has some effective layered singing.

"3 Lights" Unlike "Sleep and "Start the Fire", this eight minute beauty starts like a ballad that evolves into an emotional, ambient Pink Floydish number with excellent keyboards ala piano and psychedelic synths, which in turn lead into a spectacular guitar solo. Let's not forget the special effects. This song is loaded with them.

"Sea Nature" I don't care for the beginning but the middle and end are a killer. It starts innocent enough with light tempo and a "Won't Get Fooled Again" thread, with double track vocals. It then gets serious with a top flight guitar solo at midpoint, finishing out with some quality atmosphere.

"World through my Eyes" is a ten minute marathon. It is also my preferred cut. This is an unusual song starting with a sitar again accompanied by a lady mimicking the sound of the sitar leading into primitive percussion. This song seems to have a little of everything. It's atmospheric, mellow, hard, primitive, melodic and inventive.

Conclusion

Although the Floydian influences are noticeable RPWL has transcended its beginnings and is now truly it's own band. The strongest Floyd connection is in the fifth track 3 Lights yet even it veers off magnificently with an extraordinary piano solo. Anyway is being a little like Floyd or Porcupine Tree or Spocks Beard or Flower Kings a bad thing. Almost everybody sounds a little like somebody. RPWL started as a Pink Floyd cover band and has now grown up. Check them out! Final rating 5 stars.