A decade after giving up their day jobs as a Pink Floyd covers band and launching their own career, German progsters RPWL have taken the inevitable step with a concept album.
They’ve picked a tough nut to crack; Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a dense philosophical tome but RPWL have cleverly focussed their attention on the main characters and created a series of atmospheric portraits linked by related musical themes and enigmatic lyrics that avoid getting bogged down in detail.
Much of RPWL’s style revolves around singer Yogi Lang’s understated but engaging vocals and Marc Turiaux’s purposeful drumming that propels the band towards a succession of powerful melodic choruses.
But although there are several innovative touches, the band’s default mode is still classic 70s British prog, a button they tend to push too easily.
