COLOURS

The album sounds farther away from the psychedelic symphonic rock music and closer to The Alan Parsons Project. Despite its brevity, there's a sameness plaguing an otherwise excellent album that can make listening a bit wearisome. The synthesizers are the dominating factor, yet they revisit the same tones over and over again, and each piece usually sounds much like the one that came before it. All said, this is definitely a good album with spectacular moments.

"Horizons" Pairing a cathedral-like feminine vocal with a straightforward but funky guitar, drum, bass, and synthesizer backing, this piece is quite unlike the music for which Eloy is known. It has little in the way of derivation or evolution, as it just settles into a comfortable but non-progressive groove. The lyrics are not exactly original either- listen closely. A Yes man will be able to point out that they are taken from the mysterious and powerful incantation that begins the greatest album ever made. Sadly, it carries on as a pointless knockoff rather than a worthy tribute.

"Illuminations" Harmonic guitars underlie a synthesizer lead and the appearance of that familiar lead vocal. The synthesizer soloing over the creative rhythm far outshines the vocal sections, offering something akin to a heavier early Camel.

"Giant" The bass and lead guitar that emerge powerfully during the latter half of the introduction make for a great moment on the album, and the synthesizer, as usual, doesn't disappoint, but one must wonder if that same tone and those same riffs are going to be a staple of every song.

"Impressions" Light guitar and keyboard make for an impressive introduction and series of gentle interludes during an otherwise unimpressive song.

"Child Migration" This lengthier piece offers a Pink Floyd-like heaviness with crunchy electric guitars and a similar range of placid to angst-ridden vocals.

"Gallery" This shorter song picks up the tempo, but kind of grates along with more of the same shimmering keyboards and more of the same vocals.

"Silhouette" Following a gentle, keyboard-led introduction, straight-up disco music sets in. It gets a bit more complex in terms of the guitar and vocals, but mostly it's a simple disco song.

"Sunset" Brooding acoustic guitar underlies a hauntingly gorgeous keyboard lead in this Genesis-like instrumental.