When I first received this RPWL album, I immediately became immersed and got soaked into the music and experience. It was almost as if my soul left my body and soared with each note that floated to my ears. I instinctually closed my eyes and got completely lost. After listening to it all the way through, twice, I emailed the PR and asked if I could speak with one of the artists to know more. After I set up the interview, I dug deeper into the album for the third time, this time paying more attention to the theme of the album, Crime Scene, which will be released on March 17th, 2023 through Gentle Art of Music.
As I went further down the rabbit hole, I was almost horrified at how deeply I connected to this album due to the dark nature of the lyrical topics. I listened with a whole new mindset, and became just as enthralled, much to my dismay at the time. After really calling attention to my reactions, I finally processed what was happening. RPWL approaches these historical stories so beautifully and with attention to the details of the humanity of these people, and really people in general. It is almost like a gentle guided journey through the darker parts of humanity but helping you feel that it is ok to be curious and want to understand the mindset in order to help these humans. What an incredible thing to be able to accomplish through music.
RPWL began in 1997 out of Germany and started as a Pink Floyd cover band, which you will definitely still hear influences of. Yogi Lang (vocals, keyboards), Kalle Wallner (guitar), Markus Grutzner (bass), and Marc Turiaux (drums), are true masters of their instruments and of creating an ambiance of soundscapes and melodies that are all consuming. They are known for theme related albums, with the last one titled in 2019 Tales From Outer Space about aliens coming to Earth and deciding they wanted nothing to do with the creatures residing here. Crime Scene focuses on Karl Denke a well liked cannibal and Carl Tanzler a heartbroken widow who dug up his wife to live with her corpse because he couldn’t be without her. It is the closest thing to a masterpiece I have heard in a while and brings good insight into these stories as well as into the human psyche.
Yogi talked with Metal Nation about this album, his research, and philosophical thoughts on these topics. (If you are viewing from your phone, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the red “View Desktop Version” to pull up interview and videos.