Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

WORLD THROUGH MY EYES

RPWL

Neo-Prog


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

RPWL World Through My Eyes album cover
3.70 | 258 ratings | 30 reviews | 21% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

Write a review

Buy RPWL Music
from Progarchives.com partners
Studio Album, released in 2005

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Sleep (7:43)
2. Start the Fire (4:44)
3. Everything Was Not Enough (8:44)
4. Roses (6:36)
5. 3 Lights (8:18)
6. Sea-Nature (8:12)
7. Day on My Pillow (4:18)
8. World Through My Eyes (10:10)
9. Wasted Land (4:44)
10. Bound to Reach the End (6:54)

Total Time 70:23

Bonus track on SACD edition:
11. New Stars Are Born (7:04)

Line-up / Musicians

- Yogi Lang / vocals, keyboards, producer & mixing
- Karlheinz Wallner / guitars
- Stephan Ebner / bass
- Manfred Müller / drums

With:
- Ray Wilson / lead vocals (4)
- Mark Anderton / backing vocals
- Ralf Metzler / grand piano
- Vipo Maat / guitar
- Asif Ali / sarangi
- Chris Postl / bass
- Benedikt Just / Fx
- Indian male choir
- Indian female choir
- Manasvee / Indian sessions director

Releases information

Artwork: Stefan Wittmann

CD Inside Out Music ‎- 6 93723 40742 5 (2005, Germany)
SACD Inside Out Music ‎- 6 93723 01322 0 (2005, Germany) with a bonus track

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
Edit this entry

Buy RPWL World Through My Eyes Music



RPWL World Through My Eyes ratings distribution


3.70
(258 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(21%)
21%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(53%)
53%
Good, but non-essential (23%)
23%
Collectors/fans only (3%)
3%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

RPWL World Through My Eyes reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by tszirmay
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars The long anticipated release from Germany's leading prog band is consecration. "God has Failed" , their first album was a landmark event, the follow up"Trying to KissThe Sun" a notch below ,in my opinion, both heavily seasoned with obvious Floyd influences (they grew upas a Floyd cover band). I was a tad ambivalent about getting overtly impatient with the news that a third disc was in the making: which way will they turn, another "good" album or a recording that will kick ass? The first impression emanating from the opening notes is of a much more modern approach, with new drummer Manni Mueller supplying a more alternative rythmn pallette and secondly, the Floydian influences have now mutated into a different musical vision alltogether. Punchier arrangements, moodier attitude, less dreamy and more concise, this set of songs are bluesier concoctions with a vast variety of new impressions: the title track is a 10 minute extravaganza that recaps all the positive qualities of this combo, then a stunning cover of "Sea Creature" , Steve Hillage's opening cut on the classic "Green" album, then former and final Genesis singer Ray Wilson's vocal participation on "Roses"and finally, some heavy Hindu influences with swirling sitars and tablas ablaze, a heady added wink at the obvious Beatles influences that permeate this CD. The musicianship is impeccable, the production and the sound is arguably some of the finest ever recorded thus far, crisp, clean yet never sterile or antiseptic, a fond reminder of Alan Parsons work with Dark Side. I was expecting a good set of simple "neo" songs but to the contrary, our ears are bathing in sweltering passion, assailed from unpredictable angles, well thought out pieces that stand on their own. No weak cuts here, arguably one of the best records of 2005 , barely 3 months in! The only personal negative I have is with the packaging that is a tad too psychedelic for my taste and does not reflect the heady music inside. I guess that I do not perceive prog in yellow and vermillion tones (I am quieter now!) . I do not see it in black or white either but a more "adventurous" cover would of done the trick. Regardless, this is a deadly opus that will stand the test of time, having too many good things going for it. I suggest you try out their"world through my eyes" and see for your own what the fuss is all about. 4 Yogi bears
Review by Fishy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars The first time I listened to this album I was disappointed. I wasn't familiar with Germany's best prog band of the moment but I did read some reviews full of recommendations. Didn't know what to expect. In this style of music we know that some records need several spins but I keep forgetting it. The melodies on "world through my eyes" are quite sober and the listener needs time to get into this. For one reason or another I kept on this listening to this album for quite a while until something strange was happening. The melodies were starting to please my ears and I started to notice many details in the wall of sound. And there's enough layers of different sounds or instruments to spot over here. It can't be a coincidence the cover art shows a skyline as this the image often comes to mind listening to this album. RPWL uses conventional song formula. There's not much complexity in the song structures. So the proggy thing is in the arrangements and the sound effects on the background. There's plenty of influences from Pink Floyd's last especially on the opening track "Sleep" which has a mysterious eastern rhythm section and a Floydian background choir. Nowadays I can't believe I didn't enjoy that wonderful song right from the start. There's more than some similarities between the sound of the vocals of RPWL vocalist Yogi Lang and David Gilmour. Listening to the piano parts of "Everything was not enough" the work of Tony Banks comes to mind and there's also some noticeable Hackett influences in the acoustics at the end of "Start the fire". However those influences don't give you the impression this band is a copy cat, there's plenty originality in melodies and sound. The thing I do miss every now and then is power. "Roses " has its up-tempo moments. Once again, the excellent guitar parts are reminiscent to Gilmour and once again the keyboards are referring to those ambient sounds which were used for Floyds "Keep talking". The voice of guest singer Ray Wilson is suited perfectly for adding some powerful vocals but nevertheless this track fits in perfectly. Like "everything.", "3 lights" starts like another ballad. Maybe every now and then the band uses the honeymoon feeling once too often, especially the vocal harmonies are close to cheesy. Fortunately the second part of the song is showing some fantastic keyboard and guitar playing, also the sound of the mellotron is awesome, as always. I do regret there's not more of these instrumental breaks which aren't dominated by the vocals. The beginning of "Sea-nature" drifts on a psychedelic sound which has been updated to today's standards. It's good to notice some bands found a way to use 'old' influences in an updated sound production. This surely is one of the albums stronger moments even if the repetition of the chorus seems endless... Up-tempo atmospheres are interrupted by floating instrumental interludes on which Richard Wright could have been a guest musician. Another highlight is the title track. It combines all the qualities of the band. The longest song on the album shows many different atmospheres and a great chorus. Some of it have a big sound which slowly moves on. This is suitable to be played in stadiums so there's time for the music to reach the people in the back of the large venue. I'm not sure RPWL will ever be able to do that. But no kidding, this track is great.

There's 77 minutes of music on this disc. If this album was issued in the seventies it would have been a double package. Double albums are rarely played from start to finish. Usually people listen to one side of the album at one moment in time and save the rest for later. The problem with cd's is, you always want to listen from start to finish but on many occasions you never reach the end cause there's not enough time available or you'll get bored. I strongly advise listeners to listen in parts. Otherwise you won't be able to get used to the elaborate songs and that would be a pity cause every track is well crafted and enjoyable. I don't believe this album includes any bad material but maybe it is balanced too well, it's too even. Some up-tempo tracks could add some variety. Like it is now, this simply is too soft for my ears but maybe that's personal. Another remark I would like to make is about the great instrumental interludes. I wonder if it's necessary to have so much vocals even if there's nothing wrong with the voices. Less vocals would create more space for the instrumental highlights to shine through. But please don't get me wrong, I would like to recommend this album for fans of the latest version of Pink Floyd and fans of melodic music in general. three and a half stars

Review by lor68
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Well if you 're not interested in such "progressive rock genre" only, appreciating some other music features closer to Peter Gabriel or the modern music by Porcupine Tree or Smashing Pumpkins, probably the present latest issue from RPWL is well worth checking out...otherwise if you're not into this style too much (sometimes resembling the mood by Gilmour in the recent production by Pink Floyd), you could stand listening for a moment to this diverse CD and find interesting elements within,anyway!!Of course the reference to Pink Floyd and Genesis of the middle period is obvious (the last period with Hackett,except on the track "Roses" which seems to be a song by Genesis with Ray Wilson, being sung by Wilson himself!!), but they are not a cover band of Pink Floyd and the song "Sleep" confirms my opinion:that is the band Genesis is a pure reference for their romantic style and nothing more...in fact while RPWL are still trying to find a personal way,by considering above all their dreamy music passages as well as their powerful and melodic moments,the other German bands involved into such 70's rock music are not so much inspiring (I think especially of High Wheel ,being prisoners of a certain clichè, that is a 70's stereotype of the psichedelic/progressive music genre) .Ok it's a question of tastes and you could have already expressed a completely different opinion in comparison to my point of view...interesting CD but not essential for me!!
Review by chessman
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars This, the latest offering from the excellent RPWL, is an album that shows a departure in sound from their earlier releases. But it is bloody good nevertheless! "Sleep" starts off with an Indian feel, something which pops up from time to time throughout the album. Not sure if this is necessarily good, however, as the old East meets West theme is running a little thin and stale these days for me. However, the track is excellent, long with nice changes in structure and melody. The middle quiet section is very effective, and the differently styled ending is good too. Track two, "Start The Fire" sounds, at the beginning, like a continuation of the previous song, but it isn't. There are similarities, however. This is another good song, with nice female backing. "Everything Was Not Enough" is the second longest track on the cd, a more traditional RPWL sound here, with slow, moody verse and nice, understated instrumentation. "Roses" is very catchy, even if it is more pop like. Ray Wilson guests on this track, and his voice is well suited to this song. A nice effort. "3 Lights" is a highlight of the album. Again, it has a slow verse with gentle instrumentation, but towards the end it swells up slightly and has a nice solo in it. Very well thought out, this one. "Sea-Nature" is an old Steve Hillage song. This version is another highlight of the cd, and shows just how well this band can actually play. Lots of melody here, with riotous chord changes and up-tempo dreamy bits! Superb. "Day On My Pillow" reminds me, although I am not an expert on them, of modern bands like Coldplay or Travis, neither of which I particularly like. This song is listenable however, but probably my least fave on here. The title track is the longest song on here and it is very good too! Plenty of changes in structure here, with effective riffing and nice playing. "Wasted Land" reminds me of something else,but I can't think what! It is a more up tempo effort, catchy but nothing special. "Bound to Reach The End" is the final song, and hearkens back more to this band's Floydian past. A memorable melody with excellent soloing at the end. My copy has the bonus track "New Stars Are Born", and this, too, is good stuff. Another Floydyish track with subtle yet effective playing to fade out the album. I honestly can't say this is better or worse than "Trying To Kiss The Sun." It is different, that is all. Both albums are worth having, but, if you have one, don't expect the other to sound the same. Enjoy.
Review by semismart
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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.

Musicians

Yogi Lang : vocals, keyboards

Karlheinz Wallner : guitars

Phil Paul Rissettio : drums

Stephan Ebner : bass

Song/Track List

1] Sleep 7:10 ***** 2] Start The Fire 5:06 ***** 3] Everything Was Not Enough 8:42 ***½ 4] Roses 5:39 ****½ 5] 3 Lights 7:30 ***** 6] Sea-Nature 8:10 ****½ 7] Day On My Pillow 4:22 **** 8] World Through My Eyes 10:04 ***** 9] Wasted Land 4:52 **** 10] Bound To Reach The End 6:39 ****

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. Sample lyrics: "The new born moon seems like a cradle, shining on the desert sand Scent of sandalwood and jasmine, a goddess with a silver skin I am painting all your flowers, I'm the shadow of your dream Who changed your opium to money shiva calls your name, Why don't you sleep? "

"Start the Fire" is another medium paced rock number with some inventive hooks and a catchy melody. It also has some effective layered singing. Sample lyrics: "Out in the land I heard some people say There is no other way than to settle scores of age old grievance Lost all belief in honesty and sowing seeds of want and greed I am on my knees "

"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. Sample lyrics: "Again I'm standing in the rain Braindead from a working day A cold wind on this monday afternoon

This place still holds the magic Even though I did the best I could All those years ago are running 'round my brain "

"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. Sample lyrics: "Swimming inside nature Diving through the flowers Popping out at the bottom of the sea In minutes that seem like hours "

"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. Sample lyrics: "The further I can see The sooner I arrive The deeper I can breathe The more I am alive

So easily misled The sightless turn away As leaves fall from the tree"

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.

Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars I actually prefer "Trying To Kiss The Sun" but there is no accounting for taste is there. This one to these ears has a lot of pop elements, as well as Eastern influences.

The record starts off with "Sleep" that has a good melody throughout and I like the lighter passage after 4 minutes. Some good guitar as well. "Start The Fire" is an uptempo tune with another good melody, and I like the full sound in the beginning. "Everything Was Not Enough" are my thoughts exactly about this song, do not like it. "Roses" has Ray Wilson on vocals (which is an improvement) on this smooth, catchy tune.

"Lights" features a strummed acoustic guitar melody and some sampling before the piano comes in, and it ends with some nice soaring guitar. "Sea-Nature" is a pretty cool, psychedelic sounding tune (even the lyrics) with spacey synths and some smoking guitar makes this a highlight. "Day On My Pillow" is a so- so, relaxing, poppy tune. "World Through My Eyes" features some Eastern influences and a good beat once it gets going. The drums are more upfront on "Wasted Land", while "Bound To Reach The End" has some beautiful guitar moments in it.

This is a good, accessible release that should please a lot of people who are into melodic, atmospheric music.

Review by Finnforest
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars If you love the Gilmour-era Pink Floyd you really can't go wrong with this light psych pop prog album. Well done but way too long in my opinion. Trim this baby down to about 45 minutes and you'd have a much more impressive release. Gorgeous artwork throughout the lyric booklet featuring some acid-tinged photography. I truly believe this band has the potential to make a great album and will be keeping my eye on them. I just don't think this is it. But again, if you love solo Gilmour or his Floyd records you really should try RPWL.
Review by The T
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars RPWL's WORLD THROUGH MY EYES is the first and only album I've ever heard from this German band, so I don't know much about their earlier recordings nor about their years as a Pink Floyd-cover band.

When I first listened to this record, the most obvious thing I was expecting was stron Pink Floyd influences, of course. I was waiting to hear psychedelic, spacey landscapes, I was expecting soaring, long-winded guitar solos a la Gilmour, and sarcastic, narcitic vocals like Waters'. All of these, I have to say, is nowhere to be found in this album, which is, at first, a good thing, as it clearly shows that this outfit has finally achieved a sound of their own, something that I have to recognize. Even though they have been included in the "Neo Prog" category, their music doesn't sound like most of the usual representatives of this genre (Marillion, IQ, Arena), and doesn't bear much resemblance with the main influence for all of those bands, Genesis.

Anyway, the music in this album DOES sound like some other Neo-Prog bands (or at least bands that have been listed here as Neo prog), and most of all, like a group like Kino. RPWL's music reminds me a lot of PICTURE, Kino's first (and only) album, a side- project by such Neo Prog greats as John Mitchell from Arena. Just like in that release (which I don't know if it came earlier or actually later than this album, so I can't say which band influenced whom, if it did happen), what we have here is "light" prog music, music with strong pop elements, not much in the way of long solos or complex structures (though we get a few of the former and a couple of the latter), and nice, "listener-friendly" harmonies and melodies that don't cry desperately for prog credentials. The band members are very capable from what can be heard, though none of them really surprised me.

As I said, the music in this sound is somewhat similar to that in Kino's album (or even to that in some songs in a much more recent release like Frost*'s MILLIONTOWN), but while Mitchell's record had a lot of catchy tunes and melodies and songs that stuck in your head, this German band's cd doesn't have a true fantastic song, or one that stays in your memory long enough. With music like this, where it's clear that the purpose isn't to write the most complex pieces ever, I guess more memorable tunes would be in order. That's not the case in this album, which has some good moments but nothing that really stands out. All in all, I'd say that the best tracks are, without a doubt, "Roses" (with a good vocal performance by guest singer Ray Wilson), "Three Lights" and the title track, these two the most prog of the lot, alongside "Sea-Nature", a song that didn't win me over.

An enjoyable record, if not overly exciting. Good for an easy-prog-listening.

Recommended for: fans of "light" neo prog a la Kino; fans of good rock music with some pop elements.

Not recommended for: people that need really complex progressive music; people in search of a hard-rock or metallic experience, and people thinking that this band sounds like PF...

...they may had, in the past. Now their sound is pretty much their own, if not incredibly interesting.

Review by Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars "God Has Failed" (the band's first album) did not really get my attention, probably due to the reason I purchased the CD because of a sticker (written in a language that I don't understand) that said something about Pink Floyd. My expectations were of course that the music must be very close to Pink Floyd. Yes, there was some influence but it's different than Pink Floyd. I gave a chance to their previous album "Trying To Kiss The Sun". It's better but still it cannot bring me up where I can say "I like it". Well, prog is not a matter of like or dislike, I think. But sometimes, I need to view an album on that standpoint as well, despite other elements such as: complexity, changing tempo, structural integrity, etc.

In this "World Through My Eyes", the band's music is now even mature and maintaining the same vein with their previous album. Patience is probably the right word for enjoying this album. I have to wait until halfway through a particular track to get good musical segments. I keep pondering to myself why the band did not compose beautiful segment(s) right at the beginning of the track? For those of you who like an atmospheric / psychedelic style with barely minimum variations of high and low points, this album might suit your taste. Let me now review on a track by track basis.

"The Sleep" track opens with an eastern music nuance similar with what Kula Shaker and Deep Forest have done. What really struck my mind the first time I listened to this track was that its rhythm section - and part of its melody - reminded me to other musician's work. I tried to memorize who has composed similar rhythm before. A couple of days later, finally I got it and I played the song altogether with this track. It's a Def Leppard's song called "Truth?" from Slang album. It's not exactly the same - Def Leppard's one is more upbeat than RPWL's, but they both share similar rhythm. The style of guitar reminds me to David Gilmour's in "High Hopes" of the Division Bell album. There is keyboard sound during quiet passages that sound like "Carpet Crawlers" of Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" album. Despite the fact that some musical passages / elements of this track have some similarities with other musicians' works, this is an enjoyable track.

"Start the Fire" is an atmospheric and happy mood track with soft guitar work and some eastern percussion work at some end of the bars. The organ work at the ending part of the track is really stunning combining the 70s sound with modern technology. But I have to wait 4 minutes before reaching this segment. In some passages at background I can hear a sort of clarinet sound that reminds me again of Kula Shaker.

"Everything Was Not Enough" is a mellow track that starts off with soft piano work that once misled me to the illusion of Kayak's Life of Gold intro. My illusion did not come true as when the vocal enters the music it's totally different melody. Acoustic guitar accentuates the piano to accompany voice line. It's a quite plain track, melody-wise. The enjoyment part of this track is probably on the sound produced and the Gilmour guitar style.

"Roses" has a happy mood and moderate tempo track. Ray Wilson on vocals offers a slightly different style. Melody-wise this track does not offer a wide variety of high and low points, the music flows continuously with some passages in quieter mood and slower tempo. Good guitar sound, softer than typical Pink Floyd songs.

The following track "Three Lights" opens with an acoustic guitar followed with vocal line in low / medium register note. The vocal quality reminds me of Gilmour's voice. This track brings me to full enjoyment when keyboard takes the lead in solo and followed with soft guitar solo while simple keyboard sound is played at background to provide the song's atmosphere. Wow! What an excellent segment! It brings this track to the end. The only problem I have is that I have to wait for approximately 5 minutes to reach this segment.

"Sea-Nature" is an excellent track that blew my mind at first listen! It starts off with a drum shot followed with punchy keyboard work in ambient style. If I observe only the keyboard part, it reminds me to the music nuance of Roger Daltrey's song "Under A Raging Moon" from album with the same title. The solo guitar and keyboard that intertwined one another in the middle of the track is really amazing. I notice a variety of nuances and tempo changes that conjure up into a wonderful composition. It's my favourite track. Superb!

"Day On My Pillow" is a moderate tempo track with a clear voice line and wonderful guitar effects and soundscapes. The music flows in a continuous stream with little variations in terms of melody and tonal voice line. The band demonstrates a well crafted combination of keyboard / organ and Floydian guitar sounds during the interlude part. This short interlude creates beautiful musical nuances.

"World Through My Eyes" starts off with a soundscape of female native chants in eastern music nuance followed with male voice. The harmony between vocal and eastern music is nice. Long sustained guitar sounds augment the opening part, followed by vocal and Indian percussion. The music then turns to disco type rhythm with sampling technique. This part is intertwined with vocals and turns quieter during transition. After halfway through the track, the keyboard sound enters in the vein of Pink Floyd signatures. I've seen frequent tempo changes performed in a smooth way. This is probably the best track of this album. It has a strong structure and excellent sound variations.

"Wasted Land" is a moderate tempo track in the vein of Radiohead / Muse that flows almost plainly with minimum high and low variations. Halfway through, this track does not attract me. But the interlude is good before it returns back to original rhythm.

"Bound To Reach The End" has an opening keyboard sound that seems to bring the music of Peter Gabriel's Here Comes The Flood. But when the voice line enters the music, it's totally a different melody. Sometimes this track is enjoyable but It's not something that I like all the time, it depends on mood, I guess.

In conclusion, this album has indicated the band's improvement from its previous album. If the band really pursue a musical direction similar to Pink Floyd, some catchy melodies should be added in their compositions. Having released some albums now, with similar vein, it's the band's decision to stay the music "as-is" in their future releases. Or, they might craft their music with much melodic compositions by still maintaining their existing style - to gain a wider audience.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Review by evenless
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars When listening to RPWL it is no surprise that they started out as a Pink Floyd cover band. Nice Floydian guitar play accompanied by psychedelic vocals. Speaking about the vocals, that's exactly one minor point of RPWL. Yogi Lang's vocals are pretty good, but unfortunately he does not know how to hide his German accent when singing. Therefore "Roses" is probably my favourite track of the album since Ray Wilson is singing it, without any German accent. ;-)

The title track of the album "World trough my Eyes" and "Bound to reach the End" are also very nice tracks. I'm wondering whether I should give this album a 3 or a 4 star rating. I think I should stick by 3 stars, since I personally think SYLVAN in Germany's best progressive rock band, NOT RPWL. Also Marco Glümann's vocals are much better than Yogi Lang's. So probably the average rating on PA of around 3,5 is pretty accurate.

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars RPWL fourth album is using the same recipes as their previous ones. The band is still playing Floydian (the Gilmour days) as well as Porcupinean inspired music. Might be irritating for lots of proheads who can not tolerate so much "borrowings", but "RPWL" is playing nice and accessible music.

The Floydian ones are : "Sleep" (probably one of the best songs here), "Everything Was Not Enough" which is a mellow rock ballad and rather dull, "Three Lights" which starts on an acoustic, soft mood. It is only catchy during the second part when the keys are entering the scene and open a very good instrumental section with crying and fully Gilmour-esque guitar. Fantastic half song. This structure is very similar to several "Mostly Autumn" numbers.

The Porcupinean ones are : "Start The Fire" and "World Through My Eyes". But none of those could really convinced me. The later being monotonous and dull and toooooooo long. The best of these "PT" tracks is definitely "Wasted Land". My fave form this album. The short format is a bit of a relief. A great pop song with a very catchy chorus. Its beat is also breaking with the overall soft atmosphere of this album.

There will even be a mix of the genre with the closing number "Bound To Reach The End". I guess that the band does have a good dosis of humour because it is indeed hard to reach the end of this album. Most of this track is "PT" oriented but a short and excellent guitar break will be very close again to David's work.

The fact that Ray Wilson is the guest vocalist for "Roses" will remind the "Calling All Stations" album (from "Genesis" of course). Another good song.

This album is well over the seventy minutes mark which is too long in this case. They could have cut it by two songs to make it more appealing. But this is the tendancy for lots of bands these days. But producing ultra long albums does not always mean good albums thoughout their lenght.

This album is fully in-line with its predecessors. Although more on the mellowish side and with less variations.

Same rating : three stars.

Review by Prog Leviathan
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Finally RPWL finds their voice-- and it's much more creative, exciting, emotive, and enjoyable than anything they've done before while trying to sound like someone else.

From the hypnotic, Eastern sounding groove of Sleep, World Through My Eyes hook the listener with strong melodies and dynamic compositions of a much more artistic flair than on previous albums. Weaving between styles and moods, Lang delivers his best vocal performance to date, infectiously crooning out a cosmic message of life, love, and beauty in a screwed-up world. Songs like Star the Fire, Roses, and Wasted Land are impossible not to be moved by, while the extended title track showcases the band's newfound creativity with plenty of class and style throughout its tempo changes and mood swings.

Great instrumental work found throughout, and memorable melodies to please most anyone. Highly recommended; without a doubt the best release by the band.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

Latest members reviews

5 stars The first track, "Sleep", is a misnomer and transports us from the outset in the heart of the matter. Progressive accessible ambitious shimmering, personal, modern, cultured, full of ideas and sensitivity. Get the picture. With real pieces, successful, faithful but free, respectful but not ensla ... (read more)

Report this review (#1313897) | Posted by brainsuccasurgery | Saturday, November 22, 2014 | Review Permanlink

4 stars With this album, RPWL moves further from their Pink Floydian/psychedelic roots into more mainstream rock territory. It's all highly melodic and accessible, with just the needed amount of noise and edge to keep their lightly progressive brand of adult-oriented rock from being bland. I mean, who wou ... (read more)

Report this review (#1115731) | Posted by Progrussia | Friday, January 17, 2014 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Though RPWL formerly was a Pink-Floyd cover band, their music is unique and inimitable. They managed to mix Pink Floyd and Genesis (of both the periods) and to add something new and fresh to their progressive rock sound. I really enjoy this band immensely, because there are very few bands play ... (read more)

Report this review (#161932) | Posted by Paper Champion | Saturday, February 16, 2008 | Review Permanlink

2 stars Serious performance but unexciting music. I had heard about RPWL a long time ago but at that time I didn't find any of their CDs. Then I completely forgot them untill a friend lend me their last effort, telling me it was better than Porcupine Tree. I was perplexed so I decided to form my own op ... (read more)

Report this review (#153966) | Posted by Urs Blank | Monday, December 3, 2007 | Review Permanlink

4 stars First time I bought their album, "Trying To Kiss The Sun", I felt disappointed because I thought that they would become the next generation of Neo Prog legend after Marillion, IQ, and Arena-era. And in 2005, it's the time to make a brand new album and it's the time to change my mind. I was blo ... (read more)

Report this review (#103120) | Posted by Fernandi | Thursday, December 14, 2006 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Short and sweet. Just buy it. Great influences of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Styx, Beatles...there are so many. And very cleverly done in a way that comes across with originality and precision. I cant believe that I never heard of these guys until recently. A very, VERY good album indeed. One of ... (read more)

Report this review (#98473) | Posted by lcat | Sunday, November 12, 2006 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Very pleasant album. Easily and with pleasure obeys. Undoubtedly, influence Pink Floyd is felt. More precisely with their albums: "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" and "The Division Bell". Beautiful vocal Yogi Lang and successful arrangements became positive. The main composit ... (read more)

Report this review (#82023) | Posted by Serb | Monday, June 26, 2006 | Review Permanlink

3 stars Highly recommended by a friend who told me I would enjoy this if I like Pink Floyd. Hmm. Well, I hear the influence there somewhat, but what I'm picking up alot more is some of the pcyhodelic Beatles era here. Toss in a cover of Steve Hillage's "Sea- Nature", and you can almost hear the glissa ... (read more)

Report this review (#59955) | Posted by beebs | Friday, December 9, 2005 | Review Permanlink

4 stars They will never lose their stigma of being compared to Pink Floyd. But that is not so bad. Nothing new is expected from that side, the old geezers are done. I know, plenty of rumours with the name Roger in it. But this is good enough for me. Like the previous albums of RPWL it will need a coup ... (read more)

Report this review (#59131) | Posted by Hét LICHAAM | Sunday, December 4, 2005 | Review Permanlink

4 stars My brother is PF fans, but on the contrary i did not like PF. PF Music too complex for me . But, He try to influence my music taste and one day he brought me RPWL World Through My Eyes, then He say : "if you want to like PF, just start from this CD". I was embitered, to like PF but CD was broug ... (read more)

Report this review (#45685) | Posted by torro | Tuesday, September 6, 2005 | Review Permanlink

3 stars I would not classify this band as progressive but decent pop music. First few listens I thought it was good but kind of mellow, so it went on the shelf for a bit. After further review my initial reaction seems correct. The engineer and production is good but the songs just don't stand out. " ... (read more)

Report this review (#41753) | Posted by | Friday, August 5, 2005 | Review Permanlink

4 stars It's funny, when the former Pink Floyd cover band finally decided to stop trying to emulate Pink Floyd and put out an original, melodic, concise work... they finally succeeded in putting out an album that I would gladly rank with the Wish You Were Here era.If Pink Floyd had put THIS album out af ... (read more)

Report this review (#41748) | Posted by Man Overboard | Friday, August 5, 2005 | Review Permanlink

3 stars I've mused over this aplenty. It has one song - the title song - which is what I would call a fine example of definitive prog. Elsewhere, whilst the sound is open and fresh I would struggle to suggest that the album adds anything to the genre. In other reviews people have named possible sources ... (read more)

Report this review (#40111) | Posted by | Sunday, July 24, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Quite simply, this band is the best thing to come onto the prog rock scene since Marillion. With strong infuences of PINK FLOYD and GENESIS throughout, their music just gets better and better. This album shows an even greater degree of maturity and professionalism and if there is any justi ... (read more)

Report this review (#33498) | Posted by | Saturday, May 21, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars WTME is a five star if you enjoy a mix of Peter Gabriel' UP, Genesis' Calling All Stations and Selling England By The Pound and obviously Pink Floyd. It is scary how good these guys have become. They have really stretched out on this CD which features a range of spiritual overtones against a back ... (read more)

Report this review (#33497) | Posted by | Saturday, April 2, 2005 | Review Permanlink

3 stars This band provokes emotion in many ways. It draws the listener in over time and tends to unexpectedly stick with you. From the David Gillmor style vocals to the Tony Banks impressions on keyboards. I enjoyed "3 Lights" most, but the entire album is performed in a very modern progressive manner ... (read more)

Report this review (#33493) | Posted by | Thursday, March 10, 2005 | Review Permanlink

4 stars RPWL demonstrates its own personality and a high quality of sound and composing. Its influences are sincere, but less obvious. Good album, true inner feelings... If you can, go to enjoy the band live in its current tour. It's worthwhile and you won't be dissapointed. ... (read more)

Report this review (#33492) | Posted by | Monday, March 7, 2005 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Excellent album, the band has found his own way of composing songs, the Floydians influences still there, but not as strong as on "God Has Failied"... Seems that finally the RPWL has found their way ... (read more)

Report this review (#33489) | Posted by Ethreal | Thursday, January 13, 2005 | Review Permanlink

Post a review of RPWL "World Through My Eyes"

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.