A NEW DAWN

German band RPWL have been a going entity since 1997, and are celebrating 20 years as an active band this year. They have half a dozen studio albums to their name so far, as well as a number of live CD and DVD releases. "A New Dawn" is the most recent of the latter, and is set to be released in mid-July 2017 through their own label Gentle Art of Music. One should perhaps note that this is a review based around a digital, streaming advance promo of the DVD rather than the physical product itself. As such, there are aspects of the DVD itself I am unable to comment on.

It's been a few years since RPWL released a new studio album, with their latest CD of original material dating back to 2014 and the album "Wanted". The live DVD "A New Dawn", which will also be issued as a live CD, was captured in the tour the band made to promote that album. For anyone that saw the band live on that tour, one should note that this performance was from the final date of that tour, and that the band made that specific event a rather extravagant one, a performance rather more elaborate than what had been the case in the previous dates of the tour.

This two hour long show is about much more than a mere concert. Songs are played obviously, and there is a theme involved too, one that revolves around personal freedom and growth as well as the inhibitions on those aspects due to blind faith and the fear and obedience this has on the thoughts and actions of man. The theme is brought to life and alive however, in a manner not too many bands of this stature ever will take on I imagine. One aspect of it is that some songs are played out in the manner of a rock opera, where vocalist and main man Yogi Lang acts out a role when performing. The other and rather more spectacular aspect of this concert is that it plays out in a more theatrical role as well. Actors take on roles and bring topics and themes from the songs alive: I understand a grand total of 50 persons were involved in this aspect of the production. Multimedia sections further emphasize the themes and messages explored as backdrops, and it all combines into a seamless totality, up to and including a narrator that takes the stage to reflect upon certain messages throughout the concert. A special mention goes to the manner in which the band manage to present a god, presumably the Christian one, as a dead and hollow shell controlled by humans.

The image quality appears to be of good quality throughout: The images are sharp, the color balance holds a good quality though, although you will never escape the presence of the colored stage lights and how they will tone images on occasion. A good number of cameras have been in use, and as a visual experience we have good motion and fluent shifts of images throughout. Some effect filters have been applied here and there, which in my view wasn't really necessary, but it is not done to the extent of having any detrimental effect.

The audio is of the quality one expects in this day and age too, if further treated and enhanced in the studio after the fact I cannot tell, but it does come across as accurate so if any doctoring have been applied it'll most likely be to treat more subtle details. The performance comes across as a good and tight one too: This show is the final date of the tour and everything appears to gel just about perfectly throughout. The theatrical aspects of the performance obviously elevates the total experience in this context too, as there is quite a bit more to watch than merely a band playing on stage.

For those unaware of this band previously, their brand of progressive rock is one that revolves rather heavily around a foundation comparable to late 70's Pink Floyd. At times sounding markedly similar to that band, but also allowing themselves to reach beyond those confines and as such establishing a stronger identity than being merely a band to be described as Floydian.

All in all "A New Dawn" comes across as an excellent production, combining aspects of the theatrical play with the rock opera and a concert performance, and in a most excellent manner too. The very nature of the show captured makes this live DVD rather different from any of their previous live DVDs, in addition to this production obviously revolving around the material from their latest studio album. As far as live DVD's go this one should appeal to most people fond of rock operas I would guess, and those who treasure a concept being brought to life on stage should also find great pleasure in seeing this production for themselves. The obvious conclusion for me is that this is a DVD that is recommended for the reasons stated above, and then in particular to existing fans of RPWL as well as to those who tend to treasure the sounds and atmospheres similar in nature to what Pink Floyd did in the late 1970's.

My verdict: Highly recommended

It's the band's 20th anniversary which will have caused the decision to offer a special release to their fans ... and of course to those who may be interested in getting closer to this exceptional German band. 'A New Dawn' provides the final gig from the 'Wanted' tour, taking place at their hometown Freising in October 2015. The performance has been captured with excellent audio and video quality, thus leading into a DVD respectively Blu-Ray format either, and furthermore provided on double CD and triple vinyl. This all available via Gentle Art Of Music starting in mid-July 2017.

Luckily I already had the chance to experience them live a few times, recently during their RPWL plays Pink Floyd tour. Always a pleasure, a challenging occasion, as they are excellent musicians and performers, furthermore always showing interest in interacting with the audience, also afterwards, when the gig has ended. But, as for that issue, it's quite differing. Just a very special event, a spectacular 120 minutes lasting performance, where they are highly concentrated on themselves exclusively for good reason.

Actually there is only one option if you're intending to come in - solely the video release will let you take part at this rock opera for real. Right from the very start the RPWL members are acting from the underground, being wanted like criminals according to the album's conceptional background. Here they are courageously heading for a confrontation to certain political and religious leaders. This because they dared to distribute a recepture against intellectual fatigue to the masses. The band will perform the complete album song collection of course, bonus track inclusively.

The show is enriched with diverse interludes and a huge staff of actors, bringing real theatrical action to the stage. Furthermore additional musicians are appearing, for example Thomas Schlichenheimer on sitar and Manfred Fenneberg using percussion. And so, though deriving from the predecessor 'Beyond Man And Time' album, the extended Fisherman appears to be my absolute highlight. RPWL might be told off tending to mainstream rock here and there, but this epic song at least is prog pure as no other. Fantastic guitar solos contributed by Kalle Wallner.

And keyboarder Markus Jehle proves that he has evolved to a real key figure while artfully variating with mellotron, hammond, piano and synthesizer. The audience, equipped with reserved seats, is obviously delighted. Perfect Day will bring them on their feet at the latest. A Clear Cut Line is reminiscent to Clare Torry on Pink Floyd's 'The Great Gig In The Sky' a bit, due to vocals contributed by Conny Kreitmeier, Bine Heller and Julia Schröter. Somehow reminding me at Steve Hogarth Yogi Lang acts very confident.

Revelation Reprise rounds this masterpiece up, the following two encores are separated. Highly recommended, and this goes to the DVD respectively Blu-Ray version in particular. And now like putting the cherry on the cake even a limited Collector's Box is available, besides making-of and film script also exclusively including that already aforementioned homeopathic drug named 'Veritas Forte', which once brought them out of favour. Brilliant!

This new DVD has been done on a bigger stage with more actors and theatrical features than any DVD's the band has made in the past. The band has stretched further the production with some narration between a lot of songs that you can watch in German or English. The audio options are generous including a Dolby atmospheric that I should try later, but the surround sound is simply awesome. The concept of the show is about the human liberation of any religions and dogmas into a new world, which explains the title "A New Dawn".

The set list is taken mostly from their latest output "Wanted". The music of RPWL is still close to Pink Floyd mostly in the singing style of the choir and the Gilmour style of singing from Yogi Lang. But I really think that their music is more enjoyable when they get away from the Pink Floyd influence and stick to their own heavy symphonic sound. Not all the songs are excellent especially in the second part of the show. I recommended the video of that show instead of the audio, because of the surround sound and the visuals.