Review by mukkachukka January 28, 2005 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Progressive rock fans rejoice! Here's another fantastic 5.1 SACD to add to your collection! RPWL is a young German prog-rock band who have been compared at times to Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, and Marillion. And, truth be told, they do sound like a cross between all three of those bands with a little Beatles influence thrown in for good measure. The singer's voice has an uncanny resemblence to David Gilmour's and many of the arrangements/melodies are similar to the kind that Porcupine Tree and Marillion would write. But by no means is RPWL a clone of any of those bands! They definitely have the composition/production/musical skills necessary to make them stand out from most of the prog-rock crowd. This SACD is 70 minutes long and most of the songs are in the 7-8 minute range. The standard prog-rock instrumentation is here: acoustic and electric guitars, organ, Mellotron, Moog synth, bass, drums and percussion, etc. Very rich instrumentation with a truly organic sound. There's even an Indian sitar player and choir on one track! In addition, Ray Wilson (ex-Genesis) does the vocals on "Roses." Plus, there's a cover of the Steve Hillage (prog-rock fans will know who he is) classic "Sea-Nature." The 5.1 mix is just outstanding. VERY aggressive, but not so much as to take away from the music. Mellotron washes, sound effects, mult-tracked vocals and guitars all get heavy time on the surrounds on this SACD. Yep, this will definitely be a disc that you will be playing for all your friends to show off your 5.1 system! I think it's great that RPWL has decided to take the time and effort to put their brand new album out on 5.1 SACD. I just hope more bands decide to follow their path in the future. Highest recommendation and if this sounds like your cup of tea, you can pick it up for $17 at The Laser's Edge (www.lasercd.com)!
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