RPWL: Wanted

Beyond Man And Time, the 2012 Nietzsche inspired album from German Melodic Progressive act RPWL, finally saw this band truly begin to emerge from the more obvious influences of their past. Yes, it was still classic Prog with a modern twist, yes it still had a touch of contemporary Metal sounds and swathes of introspection. However critics finally began to stop harking back to other bands as touching points, RPWL now sounded like RPWL.

And so it continues with Wanted, a fantastic album which should see the RPWL star continue to rise and the band continue to gain admirers. Not content with the intricate, complex and a little confusing if I'm honest, concept for Beyond Man And Time, Wanted brings the theories of Plato to life through the interpretations of Garibaldi, all the while seeming to drag everything right up to date and finding the band themselves slap bang in the middle of proceedings. Confused? Well, truth be told, so am I. However religion seems to be at the root of it and a whole host of other topical (some possibly controversial) areas come into it too; making for a hugely engaging rigmarole of song ideas and concepts. As ever, none of that would matter if the performances and songwriting didn't bring it all together in an engaging and entertaining fashion and while they are, obviously, no slouches at piecing together convoluted stories; it is musically where RPWL really excel.

Catchy and with hooks, RPWL certainly sit at the more easily accessible end of the Prog scale and while they do bring some darker elements and a grittier side to Wanted than might be expected, there's a distinct "if it ain't broke..." feel here. Well you'll get no complaints from me about this band's performance, so I for one am glad that there's been a limited amount of tinkering between albums, even if there is a slight evolution in places.

"Revelation" begins in a dark foreboding manner, a scene being set and atmosphere being built, however as the album evolves, so do the instantly memorable choruses to "Swords And Guns", "Wanted" and "Perfect Day", the crystal clear clarity of the production also highlighting this RPWL strength. However that they can do all this in a way that is a million miles away from musically throwawayable, is where the really clever tricks comes in. Intricate beats, short dazzles of keyboards, guitar excursions that draw the eye without altering the focus too drastically and bass work which underpins it all, while still somehow refusing to simply be the background, all being revealed. And rest assured that Kalle Wallner, Markus Jehle, Werner Taus and Marc Turiaux are on top form, while singer Yogi Lang really deserves more credit than he usually receives for the easy, yet assured and instantly recognisable style he delivers once more. 'A New Dawn' being especially wonderful in this regard.

RPWL have done it again; Wanted is a triumphant, confident statement that confirms just how good this band are. Hopefully it is the album which continues to finally break down some of the stereotyping walls they've unfairly had built around them and allows RPWL to hit the big time.

Track Listing
1. Revelation
2. Swords And Guns
3. A Clear Cut Line
4. Wanted
5. Hide And Seek
6. Disbelief
7. Misguided Thought
8. Perfect Day
9. The Attack
10. A New Dawn

Added: March 20th 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The RPWL Wanted Website
Hits: 4238
Language: english

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