A Band On The Way Up
Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 10/16/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"You have to hand it to reviewer Murat Batmaz of Istanbul. Whenever he reviews a prog album, he does it in such a way as to make it hard to add anything useful to his comments. However, even though I greatly respect his opinion I have to differ with him on the overall quality of The RWPL Experience (Special Edition).
RWPL is definitely a band on the way up but I find the power of the vocals is often overwhelmed by the power of the music. I do enjoy this CD, but it is certainly not the powerhouse I was led to expect. The best songs are Silenced and Masters of War. Other than that, it is rather uneven. This Is Not A Prog Song is far too poppy, Stranger epitomizes my comments about the mismatch between the music and the vocals, Choose What You Want To Look At suffers in the beginning from some jivey rap-metal, and the final cuts Turn Back the Clock and Reach For the Sun sound like they are being played by an entirely different band.
Those complaints aside, there is a lot to like here as you listen to RWPL continue to evolve. The CD is called a "special edition" presumably because a pair of bonus tracks are tacked on. It comes with an attractive booklet filled with artwork, lyrics, and pertinent album information. If you are a fan of modern prog, by all means give RWPL a listen."
Most of the reviews are about the studio CD...
R. W. Taylor | Ellijay, GA USA | 10/21/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This package is a different product. The RPWL Live Experience was recorded on February 17th, 2009 at the Wyspiaski Theatre in Katowice, Poland - during the first annual Progrock Festival 2009. The CDs are stereo versions of the Dolby 2.0 - 5.1 audio of the DVD. The DVD features excellent widescreen video from the show. Here's the set list:
01. Hole In The Sky
02. Breathe In, Breathe Out
03. 3 Lights
04. Start the Fire
05. Silenced
06. This Is Not a Prog Song
07. Sleep
08. Opel (Syd Barrett 60's song cover)
09. Waiting for a Smile
10. Trying to Kiss the Sun
11. Wasted Land
12. Roses
13. Biding My Time (Roger Waters song cover)
14. I Don't Know
Bonus features include an interview with Yogi Lang and Kalle Wallner, a "Breath In, Breath Out" video clip, 2006 Tour Footage, desktop images, photo gallery, biography, discography, and other extras."