Alien Eye

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Black Holes Colliding	10:31	Play
2		Here Comes the Aluminum Man	9:02	Play
3		Tourniquette of Roses	9:24	Play
4		Moonburn 3am	8:31	Play
5		Baby Gotta Visegrip	6:54	Play
6		Dancing Bologna	6:15	Play
7		Robotomy	4:30	Play
8		The Squiggly Parameter	5:25	Play

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Description

"Alien Eye made my list of top 10 prog albums for 2003"
-Clay Gaunce, "The Trip with Clay Gaunce" - WRFL Radio, Lexington, KY

"I'm really impressed with the music."
-Kenny Solomon, Progressive Soundscapes Radio

"The CD is excellent."
-Christopher Lamka, Of Sound Mind

"An excellent project by Robert Burger who wrote all the songs. A sort of instrumental progressive electronic rock."
- Denis Taillefer, Proglands.com

"Every now and then, I'll get that one disc that makes me stop in my tracks and demand my attention. Alien Eye was definitely one of those discs. What an amazing recording. I absolutely loved it! I couldn't wait to get it into my library and on to the air. It's a fantastic disc."
-John Garaguso
Progressive Soundscapes Radio

The sound is a stew of interesting elements: colorful and abstract melodic complexities, dark progressive chamber rock, fluid atmospheric David Torn-like guitar elements, foreboding soundtrack-like sequences, dense flourishes of sound that congeal around odd rythmic structures with wailing guitar leads overhead, and jazz and fusion elements filtered through the ebbs and flows of complex electronica. Burger's guitar work is sensitive and emotional, in direct contrast to the more mechanical elements of the sound, making it stand out of the mix wonderfully. I'm at a loss for convenient comparisons. The compositions and arrangements here are nothing less than outstanding, and although it's up in the air whether Burger might have been better served by live musicians handling more parts within this dense wall of sound, the disc nonetheless has it's unique charm just as it is. In all, a very solid effort that warrants a listen.
-Peter Thelen
Expose Magazine #28

It is quite excellent electronic progressive space rock. Quite a cool variety of material on this CD with great playing by all involved. It appears his family helps out with the artwork. The CD opens with some really spacey sounds before the guitars kick in on "Black Holes Colliding". This song creates a very cool dark, scary mood before lightening up. Excellent stuff. The program drums are really quite good. I usually can't stand programmed drums on this type of music and never understand why they don't have a real drummer. "Here Comes The Aluminum Man" slowly takes us out into space and the beautiful guitar slowly builds up as the song gets more and more intense. "Baby Gotta Vicegrip" has a really great riff and repeated sample ("Oh Yeah!"). This is the only song on the CD I would really consider heavy. "Dancing Bologna" is perhaps a tribute to the Italian prog scene of the 70s? "Robotomy" features the guest synth player Dave Cashin and some nice percussion. The CD ends with the "Squiggly Parameter" and has some nice guitar trumpet trade offs. If you like projects like Dave Russell then check this out for sure. Excellent stuff.
5 Stars - highest rating
-Scott Heller
Aural Innovations: December 2003

The Gak Omek essentiially is the work of Robert Burger, a dynamic performer who plays guitar and guitar synthesizer ina fiery style that emphasizes soloing without sacrificing melodicism. "Black Holes Colliding" the opening track and longest of the 8 cuts at a little over 10 minutes, sets the tone for this collection od space-rock fusion. While there are ambient moments on this CD, much of the material is fairly intense - impassioned instrumentals that take the listener on quite a ride. Burger shows delightful dexterity throughout. One minute he's freewheeeling across the frets in jig-like fashion for "Dancing Bologna," the next he's scanning Steve Howe and Yes (circa Drama) on "Robotomy." Burger even trades licks with a trumpet on "The Squiggly Parameter." His soloing is nicely fluid - Steve Hillage might be a fair comparison, though there are bits that rcall Jeff Beck's recent forays into the world of electronica. At any rate, it's highly listenable, first-rate material.
- Mark Newman
Progression Magazine #45

The principal instrument is the guitar although not a "guitar" based album. The guitar playing here is fluid and at times powerful. The music on Alien Eye is comprised of elements taken from electronica, space rock, symphonic and some slight fusion with the guitar sound. A very nice mixture of contrasting musical styles that Robert blended in so well.
Alien Eye, is one of the better CDs that has come across my desk in 2003. This is definitely a nice overlooked instrumental gem of 2003. I do hope that The Gak Omek continue to bring new fresh ideas as they have on Alien Eye.
-Ron Fuchs
ProgNaut.com 2/3/04

Black Holes Colliding opens with a somewhat lengthy atmospheric synths and "spacey" noises section, followed by an infectious riff, which in turn is followed by a return to the atmospherics. As the track develops and presumably the "black holes" eventually collide, the piece becomes slightly more dissonant whilst building in intensity. The music comprised of elements taken from electronica, Space Rock (apt) and also touches on areas of guitar fusion, although it should be noted that the album does not delve greatly into this area. A similar pattern, is adopted in Here Comes The Aluminium Man and the less intense Tourniquette Of Roses (shades of the riff from Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun here) - an infectious and enjoyable track. These three instrumental offerings pretty much set the mood for the album, combining most of the elements to be found within the remainder of the CD. As I see it, Alien Eye is fundamentally a mixture of contrasting musical styles with infectious, often hypnotic keyboard riffs, atmospherics and spacial effects - all of which serve as a canvass for Robert to paint over his guitar themes. The stand out track is the tension building The Squiggly Parameter, with some nicely constructed bass parts and Burger's guitar work offering a nicely constructed Q&A format with some excellent sampled trumpet sounds. One of the shorter tracks from Alien Eye and one that conjurered memories of Pat Metheny's work with Lyle Mays.
-Bob Mulvey
The Dutch Progressive Rock Page


Beware the One Man Band! What horrors doth it bring? Synthesized bass; loathsome canned percussion; the most self-indulgent of concepts; perhaps even the dreaded Dearth Of Cohesive Ideas! Worry not. Fasten your cummerbund, gaze into the alien eye, and prepare to be transported to a metavalley so deep the ocean floor is merely a step in a creek. Guitarist and composer Robert Burger is to be held accountable for what transpires here, for it is he who coaxes all otherworldly textures with his trusty axes. Synth sounds abound, but hardly a keyboard is present, and there's no lag whatsoever. Yes, the beats are canned, but the sequencing is tastefully executed. Burger's guitar playing channels many a hero - be it Hackett, Froese, Montrose or Beck - and copies none. The synth parts and primary electric leads are deftly interwoven, the results overtly symphonic; think Howe's Turbulence meets Vangelis' Direct and you're getting warm.
"black holes colliding" is a meaty template for "sci-fi rock," while "here comes the aluminum man" does the same for horror/SF crossovers - think Cube. On the latter, the drum programming shifts from the hypnotic variety Tangerine Dream specialized in (before the group went south) to quasi-rock a la Mark Shreeve. The second half hour is no letdown: a long lost Djam Karet track, the opening line of "moonburn 3am" sounds so odd, one wonders if a microtonal exercise is being indulged. The most consistently upbeat track is "baby gotta visegrip" (love only for that title); while Burger emphasizes composition over chops, this is the most singularly "guitariffic" cut with a grandly melodious design. This would be an easy segue into Ronnie Montrose's Mutatis Mutandis.
Guest keyboardist Dave Cashin sits in on "robotomy" which manifests itself via percolating, dancing digital electrons. Burger's processed lead lends itself to the title, and Cashin's presence alerts us that all Burger really could use now is a flesh-and-blood drummer. If the gak omek is reborn as a proper trio on the next album, the scent of burning rubber will definitely grace the asphalt. "the squiggly parameter" juices up the FX to '11' and introduces a synthetic trumpet for a most extraterrestrial air. Well, the holder of the pseudonym has more than proved his credibility as a serious musician - next time, more players, more synths, and real drums, and we'll have a runaway hit!
-Elias Granillo
Sea of Tranquility 9/7/04

"Now this is ultra cool music! Without uttering a word, The Gak Omek create an instrumental masterpiece entitled Alien Eye. You can see the pictures they paint with their music. The music does the job with colorful soundscapes of rockin' electric guitar, synthesizers, brass, bass, drums, and various other interesting simulations.
I enjoyed this CD immensely. It's a musical gift. Every track features great guitar work and clever use of electronics and brass. Literally, every aspect of musical proficiency becomes the focus on this release, including their excellence in production. Bravo To The Gak Omek. This one is a 10/10 on the Gakometer."
-Keith Hannaleck
Indie-Music.com, June 12, 2004