OCEAN

When I first got into Prog, Eloy's 1977 masterpiece "Ocean" was one of the first albums I listened to. A wonderful concept album comprised of four long tracks telling the tale of the sunken city of Atlantis, as a warning to humanity. Filled with great synths (Detlev Schmidtchen), bass lines (Klaus-Peter Matziol), drum fills (Jürgen Rosenthal, formerly of the Scorpions), and trademark vocals and guitar work (Frank Bornemann).

The album begins with the outstanding "Poseidon's Creation." The song begins with a guitar intro which is built upon with synth until it is brought into an amazing organ driven riff. Excellent keyboard work on this track, a common theme on the album. The choir ending is the perfect transition into the next song. This song is one of Eloy's best right off the bat.

"Incarnation of Logos" opens with eerie organ and synth chords, while Frank Bornemann sings over them with an occasional echo of a narrator butting in. Suddenly a chilling bass line comes in while the narrator repeats a line and brings the song into a very intense, fast paced section. At a point in the songs the synths turn to a very Kraftwek-esque riff which I just love.

The 3rd song, "Decay of Logos" is my personal favorite off the album. Usually people would chose the opener or even the closer, but for me this song out does both. The bass in this song is not only some of the best in prog, but in rock in general. Klaus-Peter Matziol's bass paired with the rambunctious drum fills and polyrhythms of Jürgen Rosenthal, and the powerful vocals of front man Frank Bornemann make this track one for the ages. The song also features some more mesmerizing moog solos from Detlev Schmidtchen.

The closer "Atlantis' Agony at June 5th - 8498, 13 P.M. Gregorian Earthtime" begins with a doomy narration from the narrator coupled with bells. It is the epic of the album, clocking in at over 15:00! After a solid 8 minutes of ambience, the drums kick in and the song picks up. This song reminds me so much of "Dogs" by Pink Floyd because of its organ work, powerful vocals, and themes.

"Ocean" is easily one of the greatest prog albums of all time. If you are a fan of Camel, Pink Floyd, or Novalis, you will especially enjoy this album. Some of the sounds I hear on this album I have never heard anywhere else. A truly unique concept and work of art by a fantastic band. 5 stars!