BEYOND MAN AND TIME

Beyond Man and Time, 5th studio effort by German Neo proggers RPWL. I'm not very familiar with the band or their catalog, but I do confess I was a little cautious before digging at first when I read they started as a Pink Floyd cover band? I wanted something new not investing time in copycats or soulless bands, fair enough it was not the case with RPWL. I think its fair to say that Yogi Lang's vocal do resemble Gilmour's tone and if we add to the mix Wallner's immediate reference (influence) to his guitar playing it is inevitable to have that same "look and feel" of the later PF's catalog, but that's jut a mirage, this guys have their own sound and identity, and have a lot of wonderful ingredients that are smartly added to the mix? and that statement is evident on the opener, Transformed, an atmospheric instrumental intro that slowly fades and blends with We are what we are, definitely one of the highlights of the album.

According to Lang himself, "The basic idea in this album is a so-called "revaluation of values" in terms of a new way of thinking. In this world there already are creatures of higher knowledge that the protagonist meets allegorically along his way: the keeper of the cave, the willingly blind, the scientist, the ugliest human, the creator, the shadow, the wise man in the desert and the fisherman", and I try to imagine that this 2nd tune marks the beginning of such journey, just guessing? 9mins of powerful display of instruments and hypnotic singing? The title track is a mellower one, kind of bluesy in spots and very melodic, epic and memorable, a place where Wallner feels comfortable and his talent is noted. One of those ear worm melodies, a chorus you will hum hours and hours after the first listen. Unchain the earth is another highlight and one of my favorites, maybe the more PF sounding off the whole record but beautiful and unique in its own merit, I love the tempo and rhythmic section of this tune, so catchy! "Unchain the earth, we don't need the sun anymore". The Ugliest Man in the World, to my ears the best song in the album, with the best team work by the band, with a lot of changes, not complex at all but very dynamic, impossible to get bored. Neo-prog DNA, pure, melancholic and angry at the same time, obscure but beautiful, flawlessly executed? BTW, Markus's keyboards textures are spectacular!

There's always the rocker, The Road to Creation is that rocker, with added depth to the vocals and balanced but distorted riffs that are the faithful conductors for the rest of the band, progressive metal nuances decor the 6min plus song with the delicacy only available with Neo prog structures, memorable again. Unfortunately, at least for me, the weak moment of this album starts with the cool but a little bit short Somewhere in between, Lang's voice is so celestial here that I would have really like more minutes of his singing? The Shadow brings us back to the same musical feel we experienced in the first quarter of the record with straight pop rock vocalizing and instrumentation because these guys can do just that, transform complexity into mainstream sound, both vocals and guitars are the solid bridges that the rest of the band cross to become more or less melodic, more or less heavy, more or less prog, more or less complex, truly amazing. The Wise in the Desert is may least favorite, not that I not a good song, I just simply don't see the fit to the rest of the album, like it belongs to another era of the band, another concept, hard to describe how I feel about it, but it simply doesn't cut it for me? maybe it just need more listens, I guess it sounds too flavorless for me.

The Fisherman starts with the same feel as the previous tune, however it does evolve into a more symphonic groove, maybe a little bit odd but it does work and helps the 16minutes plus be fore enjoyable? I love epics, the longest the better, however I think that The Fisherman could be shorter and still tell the same story and have the same impact? just a thought? but it has to be solid that the guitar work here is really pristine and memorable. Last but not least, The Noon? beautiful vocals and lyrics by Lang who wisely manages the harmonies to sound like something important is coming to an inevitable end, a very strong song to close a very solid album. A must listen for sure!