alias eye

Hardrockhouse

Before being asked to review this album I must be honest and say I hadn’t come across this band before so for the benefit of others like myself here is a short breakdown of who the band are.

The band is Vytas Lemke (keyboards), Frank Fischer (bass), Philip Griffiths (vocals), Ludwig Benedek (drums) and Matze Wurm (guitar). The band have released “Beyond The Mirror e.p” (2000),”Field Of Names” (2001),”A Different Point Of You” (2003/2004) and now in 2007 their latest release “Focus”.

I have lived with this release for a week now and can say that “Alias Eye” area very unique sounding and highly original band. The music and lyrics all combine to make some intriguing music.

The opening track “I’m Your Lie” is a quirky and moody piece, which sounds unlike anything I have heard before. It’s rock with a progressive edge. It covers lots of ground going from muscular to mellow in the blink of an eye.” In Denial” sees the band getting funky and is reminiscent of Extreme during there Punchline phase.

“The Call” sees the band flexing some hard rock muscle and has a nice big swagger to it. One can see this song being a bit of a crowd pleaser live. With “Enlighten Them” the band show another side to themselves. An accordion drives this song along with some super drumming from Benedek. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers would kill for a track like this and if the band got this to Shakira it could possibly be turned into a commercial hit. There is also some super scampering guitar lines form Wurm which raise a smile on each listen.” Books” shows the band can also turn their hand at quality ballad style writing. This is a vocal and keyboard track and it works superbly. It’s all about melody and there are some lovely chord progressions.” Hold On” is a song, which also features more superb keyboard work from Lemke and the band all combine to build the song into something, which sounds bigger than the sum of its parts. The arrangement brought to mind Styx in the way the vocals lead the song.

Each of the eleven tracks on the album has its own little character and the more mellow pieces are at times quite engaging.

As mentioned at the start of the review Alias Eye has a very unique and individual sound and approach to their music. Anyone looking for something a bit different should seek out this band and give them a try. The recording and production are crisp and the band has left the arrangements uncluttered and tidy. At times I did hanker for a bit more “oomph” in as much as some of the songs have massive potential to be mini epics. Saying that what you hear is a real band with an honest and open sound with no studio trickery and I think that shows just how talented this band are. If you do pick up this c.d make sure you listen right to the end as without giving too m much away the lads show they have a pesky sense of humour.

All in all a very refreshing and intriguing listen.

Progressive Ears

This is the third official release from the German band that started in 1998 consisting of: Ludwig Benedek on drums, Frank Fischer on bass, Philip Griffiths-vocals, Vytas Lemke on keys, and Matthias Wurm on guitars (the only non-original member, who replaced Matthias Richter prior to this CD). I had never heard of this band prior to receiving this CD to review-which is a good thing, no preconceived ideas. Let me first say that we proggers tend to usually label music as prog because of certain elements that are mixed into the rock sound such as odd time signatures, tempo changes, clasical, symphonic and jazz elements, layered keyboards, intricate and complex arrangements, etc. Very little of that is present in Alias Eye's music-what they do instead is blend elements of more commercial music like: pop, hard rock, R&B, funk, soul, Latin, reggae, power ballads, and a little metal into a TOTALLY unique sound of their own. That's what makes them progressive.

The first track, “I'm your lie” starts out with a simple keyboard progression which breaks quickly into a heavy guitar riff, and establishes that Griffiths has a powerful and unique voice. This song typifies AE's ability to switch back and forth in the same song from a harder edged prog sound to a modern alternative sound and back to a more AOR sound. This song also features a great solo from Wurm that sounds strangely a lot like a Petrucci riff. “In Denial” is one of several tracks that actually remind me of the funky, soulful group Oteil and the Peacemakers. This song is driven by Wurm's great bluesy, funky riffs, but Lemke's keys add much here too, as do Fischer's funky bottom end. "The Call" is definitely a favorite of mine, not just cause of the subject matter, or the catchy opening jingle. It's just a great groove and hook-laden song with a hard bite, and some Jon Lord like keys from Lemke. “Enlighten Them” switches gears completely from a hard rock format to a strange Latin like rhythm complete with accordion. This song is definitely a ‘grower’ which is beginning to be another of my favs on the CD. "Books" changes gears again exploring the ballad format with powerful lyrics and a moving vocal from Griffiths, and beautiful piano from Lemke. "History Lesson" switches back to slightly dissident heavy rock with Wurm's heavy riffs setting the tone, and Lemke's jazzy keys adding an unique element. Griffiths' vocals of the lyrics he wrote are esp. passionate here. "Rhodesian Rhapsody" rocks pretty hard in places, but has some nice tempo changes (see, it is prog) and a great rhythm feel from Benedek. This one also gets very funky thanks to Lemke and Fischer, great tune-another of my favs. "Hold On" is nothing like the Kansas ballad, but it is a passionate and stirring power ballad in its own right, with great performances by Griffiths and Lemke again. Also features a nice little Latin/reggae feel to it, very original-which is again what this group is all about. "To Be or not to Be Revisited" is the group's nod to Shakespeare that starts out with a riff from bassist Fischer and a slightly Latin feel that once again breaks into a funky R&B vibe. Another very strong track with a humorous nod to Mr.Shakespeare at the end. Great wah-wah/Petrucci style solo again from Mr.Wurm. "Falling" again mixes harder rock with funk and soul with great lyrics from Lemke about the human condition. The last track "How We Perceive..." is a slow, moody ballad that proves like no other song the effectiveness and uniqueness of Griffith's powerful voice.

In a nutshell, this is an amazing CD. Completely original, like nothing you'll hear in prog or commercial pop, with some of the strongest songwriting (Lemke and Griffiths). I'm anxious to go back to their previous releases, and also am looking forward to what they have in store for the future. Highly recommended! Might even end up on my top 10 list for the year! 9/10 stars.

P.S. There is a humorous hidden moment at the 10:00 mark of track 11. Don't miss it!

Sea of Tranquility

When Germany’s Alias Eye released their 2nd CD A Different Point of View in 2004, it garnered them some very positive press in part due to the significant step forward in overall sound from their debut Field of Names. With their new offering In Focus the band shifts gears once again, however this time they move ahead by actually scaling things back production wise, opting to concentrate on writing tighter material which is more direct and to the point. Yet they still retain the harder edge that they’ve become known for. New guitarist Matze Wurm who replaces Mattias Richter seems to have been the primary catalyst for the change in musical direction as he opts to keep his own melodic solos concise and full of emotion. The infusion of new blood seems to have re-energized the whole band and the evidence can clearly be heard in the songs themselves. Vocalist Phillip Griffiths is in absolutely top form throughout as his rich tenor just envelops the songs perfectly, especially when the band takes things down a bit on slower numbers like “Books” and “Hold On”. “Rhodesian Rhapsody” is another standout track and one which features a lot of stellar Wurlitzer sounding keyboard work from Vytas Lemke along with didgeridoo being supplied by Griffiths. The gentle final number “How We Perceive”, with additional vocals supplied by Anna Sabrina Lopp concludes the album with an appropriate air of reflection. After really spending time with this disc and doing some reflection of my own, the overall tones and feelings of warmth within the music and production itself, in addition to the great musicianship were the things that lingered with me the longest after the music was done.

In Focus is a solid, honest effort from Alias Eye and one gets the feeling that the band is really beginning to hit their stride creatively. If they continue along the same lines musically with their next venture, they will graduate from “a band with a bright future” to one that has already arrived. They are on the cusp of greatness.

In my opinion, Philip Griffiths has one of the best voices in rock. The new Alias Eye album makes good use of it as many of the songs consist of a variety of styles, but the vocals are always at the center of the songs. For those unfamiliar with the band, Alias Eye is an AOR band that flirts with prog from time to time, but on this album those flirtations are fleetingly less than before. As musicians, they have the chops to be progressive, and the flourishes of keyboards throughout make one think of the progressive influences the band members obviously have, but the album is a unified attempt to be melodic and radio friendly. Again, that's not to knock the band, because their confidence with their material and their style is quite clear.

The first song establishes that clearly. "I'm Your Lie" is extremely catchy with a very pronounced chorus. The next two songs are more funky and riff heavy, exploring the territory that Deep Purple delved into on albums like Come Taste The Band. "Enlighten Them" has a salsa rhythm which adds a refreshing change of pace. This is followed by an exquisite ballad, "Books," where Phillips voice excels. "History Lesson" adds syncopation to its chorus, showing the band to not be fearless when it comes to providing the listener with the unexpected.

Piano is used lavishly (I love it) and "Hold On" has playing reminiscent of the romantic passages found in Tony Banks' work. It's another ballad with strong vocals, but a few changes await the listener before the song is over.

The next couple of songs return to the funky format of previous songs before we hear another beautiful ballad in the album's closer, "How We Perceive." The warm lush voice of Griffiths is augmented with a guest vocalist, Anna-Sabrina Lopp. There's a hidden track at the end of the song which playfully shows off a loungy jazzy side to the band.

To summarize, this album is not prog rock. Though the musicians are all virtuoso, there is no attempt to show that off. Some of the songs are blatantly melodic, others are riffy and funky. Not all achieve the best results, yet there is a consistency to the album. If riffy, keys layered AOR is to your liking, you will enjoy this.

First album of 2007 for me and what a start to the year it is. Alias Eye are a prog band that also weave elements of jazz / aor and even folk ( they use an accordion ) into their music, odd sounding I know but it gives them their own unique sound, something sadly missing in a lot of prog these day’s.

The strength of Alias Eyes’ music lies within the complex yet very accessible arrangement’s that they use, plus the combination of the heavy guitars and light melodies that they mix together. In a lot of prog you get band’s that wander around for half a day losing sight of where they started and in the process boring the pant’s off the listener, not so Alias Eye their song’s ( all except one ) never straying over the five minute mark and this keeps your attention focused totally on the music .

As this is my first official release of 2007, it would probably be bold of me to say that on this album you get one of the track’s of the year but guess what I’m going to say it anyway, Hold On is an exceptional track slowly building into a classic song filled with soulful piano and guitars that are joined by the vocals of Philip Griffiths who sends you on a glorious musical journey as he sings.

But Alias Eye aren’t just a one trick pony, songs like the beautiful Books which is almost aorlike in it’s delivery, the rocky History Lesson with it’s funky backbeat or the final laidback cut How We Percieve are all examples of how great prog can be done.
If the rest of 2007 is as good as this then we’re all in for a treat, Alias Eye have started the ball rolling with a quality release and you could do no better than to start your year off with it. (QUIXOTE-MUSIC)

If you are a Prog fan, Alias Eye from Mannheim, Germany, will already ring a bell for you. Their debut album, Field Of Names, made quite a few brows rise and received excellent reviews throughout the Rock and Metal media. No surprise when you remember that the opening title track still is one of the best Prog songs of all times, and the rest of the album also did not disappoint.

Only shortly after, they took a turn to a more intellectual, Jazzy, and complex style with Different Point Of View, which earned them a spot as support act for Saga, but also took them away from the Hard Rock scene and made a German magazine put them on a pedestal with The Flower Kings. High praise, but also a label that put them in a dimly lit, far away corner of the Metal basement, which is only visited occasionally, but whenever you do visit, you discover the most delightful things that will occupy your time for hours when browsing through almost-forgotten joys.

Now, almost four years later, these guys are back, and as the second album marked a considerable change in sound to its predecessor, In Focus has a very different feel than their 2003 output. Forgotten are self-indulgence in orgies of Progressive experiments, Alias Eye has returned to straight compositions. The longest of the 11 tracks comes in at 4:38 minutes (the last track will seems to be over 11 minutes long –- don’t be fooled, there is a hidden track at the end after several minutes of silence; that is not very original anymore, but this is the only point of criticism to be voiced about this album).

Maybe this is at least partly due to a change in line-up where Matthias Richter on guitar was replaced by Matthias Wurm, who has a more down-to-earth playing style and cranks out some of the heaviest riffs in the band’s history, most audibly on “The Call.” This increased use of Rock guitar sounds makes the whole album more MER.COM compatible, without, of course, forgetting the Jazzy parts as in “I’m Your Lie,” which in contrast has the most metallic solo, or their Funky side in a track like “In Denial” -– this also being a song that reminds most of the Different Point Of View album.

But, the spices that make this a tasteful dish are the voice of Philip Griffiths, who is without a doubt one of the best singers in Prog Rock, and Vytas Lemke on Keyboards, who is just an exceptional musician that likes to experiment with sounds, styles, rhythms. You should see the guys live, and enjoy the playful virtuosity. For Alias Eye connoisseurs: On “Enlighten Them” he returns to play Accordion. How good is that? This will become a highlight in their live sets for sure.

The new chemistry between the band can be heard best in "In Denial" and even more in “Falling” when during the solo sections Matthias Wurm and Vytas Lemke alternate in soloing in such a playful and funny way that you can do nothing but smile and feel a part of the joy they obviously had creating this record. The album will still need a few spins before it unveils its delights –- apart from the obvious, awe-inspiring vocals -– but then you will agree that this is already a highlight of the still-so-young new year.

Before being asked to review this album I must be honest and say I hadn’t come across this band before so for the benefit of others like myself here is a short breakdown of who the band are.

I have lived with this release for a week now and can say that “Alis Eye” area very unique sounding and highly original band. The music and lyrics all combine to make some intriguing music.

Each of the eleven tracks on the album has its own little character and the more mellow pieces are at times quite engaging.