Rockezine.com (9,5/10)

German art rock band Alias Eye surprised us two years ago with their debut album Field Of Names. As a matter of fact it was one of
my favourite albums of 2001. When I heard DVS Records was set to release Alias Eyes’ second album in December, I could hardly
wait to get my hands on a promo copy.

Listening to opening track “A Clown’s Tale” was a bit disappointing. It’s not that this song doesn’t stand up to Alias Eye standards, on
the contrary: the vocal melody and guitar rhythms sound too much like the songs on Field Of Names. Would A Different Point Of You
be nothing more than a Field Of Names part II?

After listening to the other tracks on the album, I quickly had to adjust my opinion. Starting the album with a familiar sounding track was
a wise decision, because after this conservative opener the band goes completely mad! In the good sense of the word of course.

Alias Eye truly deserves the label art rock. It’s unbelievable how these guys merge so many different influences into great songs and
maybe even more important unite these alternating tracks into a brilliant and tight album.

This album might be the album progressive rock fans have been waiting for, for a long time. Alias Eye goes back to the birth of
progressive rock, combining all kinds of influences as a reaction to numb pop rock. My hope is that the average prog fan isn’t numbed by
the hollow prog rock of the past couple of years and will take time to listen to A Different Point Of You.
(Geert)

Prog-nose (Album of the Month)

It’s incredible how this German band is integrating so many different styles into their music. Almost every song is totally different and still they all form a unity called “A Different Point Of You”. The way they perform all these styles is the best proof of their musical skills.
The singer Philip Griffiths was already one of my favourite singers. I know him from the Poor Genetic Material albums, but he’s even
sounding better with this sort of music. His voice resembles a lot to Michael Sadler’s from Saga but he sings with more emotion.

“A Clown’s Tale” starts off with an Eastern sounding sort of sax solo that pops up from time to time during the track. The other
instruments give the same Eastern feeling and you can even hear it in the vocals. Amongst these foreign sounds, Matthias succeeds to
put down a really great progmetal guitar solo at the end of the track. ”Fake The Right” is a very rhythmic rock song with lots of sax. Musette accordion in French and Malando style are used in ”Your Other Way”, but again without losing the Alias Eye sound. So don’t let it scare you off, it still contains enough rock elements to keep it from being a real “chanson”.
Time to admire Philip’s voice again in the semi-ballad “Icarus Unworded”. ”The Usual Routine” is a very groovy track that brings a bit of Donald Fagan in your house and also contains a bluesy guitar solo and a jazzy piano piece. A cello sound supports Philip in a ballad called ”Drifting”. Didgeridoo sounds open the next track, “On The Fringe”, which could have
come straight from a Saga album. Classical piano and cello form the middle part of this song. My favourite track is the most, genuine progressive song of the album, called “The Great Open”, with a great guitar solo. The album ends in a jazz club with brushes on the drums, contrabass, and a jazzy piano and guitar.

This album is hard to review and to explain all the different things that happen. There are so many different pieces and variations that
you really need to listen to it. You can hear some samples on their site, maybe they can help you understand what I mean. I like this CD because of the variation in styles, but this could also be a disadvantage. Some people might think that they didn’t find their identity yet, but I can hear their own sound through all this different styles. Maybe it’s a bit too poppy sometimes, but there’s enough progressive material on this album to give it a chance. The album comes with beautiful artwork from Mattias Norén. Another winner from DVS Records.

If there is one band who whole heartedly deserves the label progressive rock, with the emphasis on progressive, it is Alias Eye. The 9
songs on the album are quite catchy, sometimes even poppy, but very surprising. The surprise is mainly in the instruments they have
added: contrabass, saxophone and they even have an old fashioned accordion (although I take it it’s a sample). But also the compositions
are very melodic, with various influences. Like in the opening track ‘A Clown’s Tale’, they have woven an oriental melody in the song
and mixed it with some subtle and, although not too much in the foreground, heavy guitar riffs and Timo Wagner guesting on the
saxophone, which gives the song a very warm touch. This saxophone returns in the second track, ‘Fake the Right’, which opens with a
mellow guitar riff, followed by the brass sound and it has a very catchy melody, close to being a pop song. It is amazing how well the
walk the fine line between pop and prog, while never sounding cheap or commercial.

‘Your Other Way’ is one of my favourite songs on the album. Here Bernd Schreiber guests on the acoustic guitar and also the use the
accordion sound here, which gives it a bit of a Mediterranean sound. Vocalist Philip Griffiths has a nice voice, still a hint of an accent, but
I like his voice with the songs very much. The keyboards and piano arrangements by Vytas Lemke are perfect to spice up the songs,
sometimes sweeten them, but never too much and the rhythm section, Ludwig Benedek (drums) and Frank Fischer (bass) take care of
the foundation of the songs, and do it with moderation and subtlety. ‘The Usual Routine’ is a more up tempo song, with a chorus that will
stick in your head and has a hint of fusion.

Of course a tender ballad is included, which both shows how versatile Alias Eye is, and how well they can compose good songs.
‘Drifting’ is a song that can only be described as “beautiful” and that should cover everything about it. Did I mention guitarist Matthias
Richter yet? His guitar arrangements are absolutely masterful and very balanced. No unnecessary solos or heavy riffs, but soooo good!
Like in ‘The Great Open’, this starts as a fragile ballad, but grows to such a fantastic song, with superb guitars, heavy, but no metal, and
an excellent solo. The closing track shows yet another side of the band: the jazz side. Here guest musician Bernd Schreiber plays the
contrabass, together with the soft keyboards, this is a very surprising song for a prog band, but they pull it off!

A lot of words about this album, but I can’t help it…it is such a good album, with simply beautiful songs and they show Alias Eye has
grown tremendously and are a true progressive band. Great artwork from Mattias Norén tops off this high quality album. This album is a
must have for all lovers of good progressive music. So, let’s not waste words anymore and run to your nearest CD shop and get this
album. If you still like to hear it first (after all, whether you like something or not, remains a matter of personal taste), check out their
website for some samples. But I can assure you this is one hell of a good album.

Dutch Progressive Rock Pages

(selection)

Alias Eye are a German outfit who generated quite a bit of interest with their debut CD Field Of Names. Expectations were doubtless high therefore for the follow-up, and they band have certainly delivered the goods on A Different Point Of You.

The band’s style is somewhat difficult to pinpoint, particularly when looking for major comparisons with other acts. The music on this CD can probably be described as stately, occasionally jazz-inflected prog/pomp rock, with a pronounced, if generally understated, heavier side. At various points there are echoes of Saga, Kansas, Dream Theater, Spock’s Beard and Rush (mid 80’s era), plus a whole host of more mainstream acts, in particular Queen and Supertramp, yet I don’t feel there’s any one artist that you could draw significant comparisons with over the full length of the album, which is certainly a strength. It’s also to Alias Eye’s credit that they pull off a range of different musical styles with some flair, and that the focus is firmly on songs – not to say that there aren’t a number of fine instrumental sections, but the band always appear to have a tight reign on these, and don’t let their obvious virtuosity get out of hand.

A Different Point Of You gets off to a dream start with A Clown’s Tale on which Alias Eye manage to nail that holy grail for all bands: the killer opening track. From the atmospheric opening section, where from amidst the sounds of a Middle Eastern bazaar, emerges a short, evocative saxophone solo before the song morphs into a powerful, stately rocker, which retains an ‘arabian’ feel throughout. Vocalist Philip Griffiths stamps his authority on things immediately; in my opinion, he has one of the strongest voices in progressive rock today, and impresses throughout with his powerful delivery and seemingly effortless range. This is a wonderful song, well written, constructed and delivered with a very real sense of passion, and packing quite a punch to boot.

Whilst A Clown’s Tale sets the bar very high, the band do manage to clear it again a couple of times: Your Other Way is an irresistible track which mixes a breezy, ELO / Supertramp-style pop-rock feel with a heavier edge, in addition to incorporating Spock’s Beard-ish vocal harmonies on the chorus. Alias Eye also manage the trick of introducing an accordion to proceedings, and making this seem like a perfectly natural thing to do! The Great Open, meanwhile, is a dark, sweeping epic in the very best prog tradition – pompous and melodramatic, but in a compelling, majestic way.

Elsewhere, the quality is consistently maintained, bar one misfire – the rather ill-judged funk-rock of Fake The Right – and the pleasant if somewhat underwhelming ballad Drifting. The likes of the slick, up-tempo pop-rock of The Usual Routine and On The Fringe, with its unusual time signatures, classical undercurrents and Griffith’s somewhat arch, over-dramatic vocal delivery, are strong songs which both make an immediate impression and bear repeated listens.

Overall, a highly impressive album, full of strong, varied songs and flawless musicianship - I feel I hardly need to mention that the production is excellent as well. There’s still room for improvement of course, but as it stands this is highly recommended, particularly to those who appreciate well-written and constructed songs as opposed to a barrage of instrumental excess and tricky time signatures.

Tombstone.gr

This is the sophomore album of this German progressive rock band and once again it’s a good one. This time they have gone for a more
progressive rock approach, with more melodies in their music. Once again they enhance their music by using non traditional instruments
such as a contrabass or a saxophone and once again they dare to explore some unknown territory by adding to their music influences
from classic rock or jazz. The musicianship is top and the guys sure know not only how to handle their instruments but also how to write
a good and catchy song. Their music might be technical but they never forget the basics of songwriting and we appreciate that. The
production of the album is very good since it is crystal clear but not over polished. We liked the album and it is highly recommended to all
progressive rock fans around the world who like bands that try to do something different from the “normal” thing.

Rock Hard Italy

Album of the Month

Se per il debut "Field Of Names" si poteva ancora parlare di prog rock, o perlomeno il termine rock aveva ancora un senso, il nuovo "A Different Point Of You" rischia di provocare gravi turbe in coloro che si danneranno l'anima per catalogarlo! Non facciamolo allora e
parliamo piuttosto di cinque ragazzi innamorati della musica in ogni sua forma e manifestazione, di cinque individualitä aperte a qualsiasi tipo di contaminazione culturale, di cinque menti in grado di ragionare fuori dagli schemi, di cogliere il nesso tra gli estremi e, infine, di cinque musicisti preparatissimi in grado di esprimere inalterata la propria bizzarra creativitä. Il prog settantiano e solo un substrato, per di piü finemente rielaborato; i; solo un fiume limpido e luminoso alimenta¬to da un infinitä di affluenti dai riflessi pastello. Gli Alias Eye sono splendide melodie pop, robustezza hard rock, aristocratica raffinatez¬za prog e simpatica cialtroneria dance anni settanta, ritmiche funky, sofferta essenzialitä blues ed esuberanza jazz. Gli Alias Eye sono tutto questo, ma il piü lontano possibile dall'autoindulgenza, dall'esteti¬smo, dal contorsionismo strumentale e cerebrale. Gli Alias Eye, non¬ostante tutto, sanno parlare in modo semplice, sanno farsi capire sin dal primo istante nonostante la complessitä dei concetti espressi, e sanno pizzicare ad occhi chiusi le corde giuste per far vibrare l'anima dei loro ascoltatori, una dote che di certo non si impara sui banchi di scuola e forse non insegna neanche l'esperienza. Allora non abbiate paura di affrontare la diversitä e di abbracciare sonoritä che pensate non vi appartengano. Lasciatevi cullare dalla voce suadente e teatrale di Philip Griffith. Inalate a pieni polmoni e godete dell'ariosa gemma progressiva che risponde al nome di "The Great Open" e non abbiate paura che "Icarus Unworded" suoni come una vecchia ballata di Elton John. Non vergognatevi di entrare in un vecchio e polveroso jazz club ("Too Much Toulouse") e siate pronti ad accogliere a braccia aperte la ricchezza che sono in grado di offrire culture diverse dalla vostra: l'o¬riente non i; poi cosi lontano e il suono di una fisarmonica saprä indi¬carvi la strada di casa. Non correrete il rischio di perdervi perche non vi sarete mai allontanati, nü dal luogo in cui vi trovavate, nü da voi stessi. L'unico rischio sarä quello di voler intraprendere nuovamente questo splendido viaggio, ancora e ancora e ancora…

Metal Maniacs Italy

Il secondo lavoro degli Alias Eye, l'ipnotico "A Differrent Point Of You", rischia seriamente di candidarsi come uno dei "cinque" o dei "tre"
dischi più interessanti del 2004, lasciando solamente le briciole per la sparuta concorrenza. Non esagero esprimendo tutta la mia ammirazione per questo quintetto tedesco, che sa coniugare alla perfezione tematiche
prog, con sonorità variegate che spaziano dal pop più raffinato al funky, dall'etnica al jazzy, interagendo con una tecnica di base di notevole spessore. Non è assolutamente semplice farsi catturare al primo ascolto da "A Different Point Of You", anzi tutti quei repentini cambi
di stile che lo caratterizzano, possono risultare anche irritanti ed indigesti, ma non appena si riesce ad entrare in perfetta sintonia con
il lavoro, vi posso assicurare che si rimane letteralmente catturati da un caleidoscopio di emozioni, una sarabanda di suadenti sonorità, che non lasciano scampo all' ignaro ascoltatore, convinto di trovarsi di fronte al solito prodottino già catalogato in partenza. L' arabesca "A Clown's Tale" apre le danze, come una novella "Mustapha" (chi conosce iQueen sa di cosa sto parlando), mentre i Saga più ispirati fan capolino in "Your Other Way" e in "The Usual Routine", prima di staccare la spina in due ballad da brividi come "Icarus Unworded" e "Drifting", due colpi di classe e di genio. Il resto dei brani si mantiene su eccellenti livelli, anche se un gradino sotto a quelli che ho appena citato, ma sono sfumature del momento, che al prossimo ascolto possono essere suscettibili di variazione, visto che ad ogni passaggio del cd scopro, tuttora, orizzonti ancora inespressi. Un disco per palati fini che ci riconsegna quelle emozioni da brividi, che solo la buona musica sa regalare.

Metallus Italy

E' vero, passano inosservati questi tedeschi, che debuttarono nel 2001 con l'album 'Field Of Names'. Allora le recensioni furono buone e forse riuscirono a crearsi un piccolo seguito qui in Italia. Tre anni dopo ritornano con 'A Different Point Of You', sempre per la piccola
etichetta DVS, e ancora lasciano il segno. Riguardando la copertina di 'Field Of Names' noto che il colore dominante è il rosso, con degli uomini con maschere teatrali in primo piano. Il rosso è un coloro caldo, pensante.. proprio come le sonorità degli Alias Eye. Album compatti, di buon gusto quelli del combo tedesco. Tre gemme indimenticabili risaltano
però: come 'Field Of Names' aveva 'Just Another Tragic Song', 'A Different Point Of You' ha 'Fake The Right' e 'Drifting'. Proprio la loro ultima release conferma il gusto per la sperimentazione e per la miscela di tanti generi musicali diversi. Il genere, fondamentalmente, è "progressive di matrice nord europea" (vedi Rpwl, Flower Kings, Everon). Si passa dalla classica progressive rock song iniziale, 'A Clown's Tale', alla funkeggiante (il vocalist Griffiths scimmiotta il primo Tom Jones)'Fake The Right'; dalla classica midtempo in stile Alias Eye ('Your Other Way') alla beatlesiana 'Drifting', passando per il club jazza anni trenta della conclusiva 'Too Much Toulouse'. Perizia tecnica, gusto, classe, grande songwriting e un pianista a dir poco mostruoso che innesta la marcia in più. Un disco dai mille colori: si passa
dall'azzuro delle canzoni più spensierate al grigio di quelle più riflessive.

Movimenti Prog

Pur essendo considerata una band di prog rock, quella degli Alias Eye non può rientrare propriamente in questo genere. Al loro secondo
album a distanza di due anni dal precedente Field of Names, i cinque ragazzi teutonici presentano un disco molto variegato, di poco più di cinquanta minuti, in cui è possibile ascoltare i generi più disparati.

Per questo motivo, è difficile che gli appassionati del classico prog apprezzino questo disco. E' necessaria una cultura musicale più ampia e anche una apertura mentale maggiore, per poter capire le grandi qualità di questo gruppo. Da tale considerazione, ci si potrebbe far trarre in inganno: non abbiamo davanti un disco di difficile ascolto, le canzoni sono tutte piuttosto orecchiabili, catchy per dirla in inglese, che forse rende di più l'idea. Il vero motivo è che si possono riscontrare tantissimi stili e generi differenti, che con il prog non c'entrano quasi nulla.

Per fare un esempio, la seconda traccia, Fake The Right ha una matrice ed un gusto decisamente funky, ma a dir la verità la vena
eclettica del gruppo si evince da ogni momento del lavoro, da alcuni assolo di derivazione jazz o fusion, o addirittura da frasi di fisarmonica di stampo decisamente francese, come in Your Other Way.

Ad ogni modo, qualcuno potrebbe definire il disco troppo frammentario, a seguito di quanto appena detto, ma c'è un filo conduttore che lega l'album: quello di mostrare un art rock con melodie facili da ascoltare, orientate talvolta ad un sound quasi pop, ma con un background di grande cultura musicale, in cui anche il cantante Philip Griffiths si trova a suo agio, molto di più che nei mediocri Poor Genetic Material.

In definitiva, veramente un ottimo disco. Consigliato a chi non vuole vivere di solo prog

more coming soon!