THE GAK OMEK

Artist's Website
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USA

Available CDs

Warranties and Disclaimers

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

"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. Excellent stuff.  (5 Stars - highest rating)" - Scott Heller, Aural Innovations: December 2003

"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

"The Gak Omek essentiially is the work of Robert Burger, a dynamic performer who plays guitar and guitar synthesizer in a 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 of 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 recall Jeff Beck's recent forays into the world of electronica. At any rate, it's highly listenable, first-rate material." - Mark Newman, Progression Magazine

"I think it's an incredibly gifted and remarkable disc. Another excellent CD by The Gak Omek." - John Garaguso, Progressive Soundscapes Radio

"F**kin' Fantastic! Return of the All-Powerful Light Beings has my vote so far for the best prog album of the year." - Greg Zandecki, Radio Gnome

"Return of the All-Powerful Light Beings is the the second album by The Gak Omek I have had the chance to listen to. The first one, Alien Eye featured some very good "cerebral" instrumental progressive music. Considering that it was a first CD from an independent solo artist (Robert Burger), Alien Eye was an exceptional album.
Well, with Return of the All-Powerful Light Beings , Mr. Burger has managed to raise the bar a little higher. You will again find on this CD some very well composed and performed instrumental progressive music. Robert Fripp and Steve Hackett can still be cited as references, but I notice two main differences between the first and the second CDs. Firstly, the tracks do not feature as many unexpected twists and turns as on the first album. They evolve in a more gradual manner even though, like on the first track (of epic porportion at more then 15 minutes), there are some distinct sections. Secondly, the music is more emotional. Taking again for example the first track, it ends in a very moving "finale" that reminds me of The Flower Kings.

Return of the All-Powerful Light Beings is another great album by The Gak Omek and can be considered a step forward. I have to underline the contributions of Glen Robitaille on drums and especially Dave Cashin on the keyboards (both on the title track) that add some interesting nuances to the music. Highly recommended." - Marc Roy, ProGGnosis.com

"This one came as a complete surprise to me. The last Gak Omek disc, entitled Alien Eye, was excellent and this one pushes the envelope even farther. The Gak Omek project is fronted by Robert Burger who is also the head of his own record label out of New Jersey called BlueCube Music. The label has released both of the Gak Omek CDs as well as one from another spacey artist named Brainstatik. As with lots of great music, the style here is very hard to pin down. At times I'd call it electronic music similar to Synergy but the guitar throws it all off and the music tends to veer into Djam Karet territory. Whatever I call it, it's still damn good stuff.

The CD starts out very strong with the title track which features Glenn Robitaille on drums and Dave Cashin on additional keyboards. Right from the start it's obvious that this is going to be a really unique disc. Robert's guitar playing is quite majestic at times and his sense of counterpoint is just a joy to hear. At around the three and a half minute mark things get a bit strange, there's a weird slowed down voice part and the music suddenly shifts into a freaky lower gear. Things gradually pick up, new parts are added and there are a few organ solo spots. Very impressive album opener that doesn't drag at any point for it's entire 15 minutes.

The second track Forbidden Technology Of The Lost Clown Civilization is a weird little ditty that certainly lives up to the title. This is some crazy mutant circus music with a jazz twist and some really cool electronic percussion. This is followed by Cydonia which starts out a bit slow but very huge with a nice sci-fi soundtrack type sound; having listened to this music several times now, I'm convinced Robert Burger could easily have a lucrative career working in the movie business. About halfway through, the tempo picks up and we get a nice speedy pace that is perfect for layered guitar leads and synth embellishments. The piece ends in an ambient style with a few minutes of beautiful synth and guitar drones.

Apparitions Of Departed Human Personalities is another interesting one and this time I'm hearing a sort of cross between Anthony Phillips and David Arkenstone to make up some alien new age tune. There are parts of this one that are really out there, like a segue from lush orchestral parts to demented island music from another planet. After the track fades out, the next one begins with some more great and very unusual synth sounds for just a short period. Even though it has one of the odder song titles on the album, Radio Hypnotic Intra-Cerebral Control is probably the easiest song to describe since it has a style very similar to King Crimson. This one would fit in very neatly in the Larks song cycle. If it weren't for the fact that this song just totally kicks ass, I might even call it a rip off. Another peculiar vocal bit brings the song to a spectacular end.

Dance Of The Nine Unknown Men is an upbeat space rock piece with some more really captivating guitar playing. I swear he just plays his ass off throughout this CD but it seems to fit the music so well that it sounds almost effortless. There are also some really neat sitar sounds on this one too. This leads into the ending track on the album, Departure Of The All-Powerful Light Beings and after a piano intro we're treated to a brief reprise of the first track. The album ends with some very cosmic synth sounds as the Light Beings depart from the realm.

This is definitely one of the best albums I've heard this year so far. It's another one of those that each time you play it you hear something new and exciting. I will admit that there is a bit of a homemade/amateur feel to the music and the artwork on the CD but not only is this nothing embarrassing, it's very welcome to see something of this caliber coming from a home studio." - Floyd Bledsoe, Progressive Ears

"One of the Top 20 Prog CD Titles of 2004" - Greg Cummins, Sea of Tranquility

"One of the Top 30 Prog CD Titles of 2004" - Sergio Vilar, Nucleus

"One of the Top Prog Albums of 2004" - Ken Solomon, Progressive Soundscapes Radio