Eloy Discovery Zone

It begins with some subdued material in the form of a straight forward uptempo rocker 'The Refuge', with an AOR feel similar to the material on "The Tides Return Forever". The riffs are nothing special though there is some exceptional lead breaks from Bornemann. Hearing his distinct vocals is like returning to an old friend; Eloy are impoverished without this uniqueness. The renaissance flute here by Volker Kuinke works well to accompany the layers of synths.

'The Secret' is immediately back to the spacey quality of Eloy. It is a slow meandering song with far too many vocals and not enough symphonic key boards. I like the way the vocals though at first are processed to sound like vintage psychedelic prog. The feel is more poppier in the chorus and the uplifting melody is repeated ad infinitum and, as a result, becomes quite tiresome after an initial listen.

'Age of Insanity' is where the brilliance begins for me; a stunning song that I could hear over and over. This one has everything from the heavy guitar riffs to Michael Gerlach's beautiful synth lines. There is a powerful roaming bassline from Klaus-Peter Matziol that mesmirises. Bornemann even returns to his infamous narrations on this one, similar to "Ocean". The instrumental section is dynamic with Gerlach sizzling on keyboards creating stellar spacey soundscapes.

'The Challenge (Time to Turn part 2)' is the next highlight; space rock with an extraordinary rhythmic bassline driving it headlong. The loud synths are dramatic and pleasurable to the ear. There is a strong melody and it feels quite majestic, especially the way it builds in the chorus. It sounds purposely like the material on "Time to Turn" and this is a good thing. I love the way Anke Renner and Tina Lux's vocals balance out Bornemann's delivery. At 4:30 there is a welcome lead break, simple but organic with the bassline and sustained synths. The drumming on this by Bodo Schopf is also a step up from recent Eloy albums. Overall this is a spirited comeback thus far.

'Summernight Symphony' is the most symphonic feeling more like vintage Eloy of the 70s. The music is very measured like a cool summer breeze. There is a strong orchestration on keyboards and Bornemann's vocals are pleasant, with sweet-natured lyrics; "We share a dream enchanted by an overwhelming atmosphere, just you and I beneath the sky, side by side we're soaring high." The pretty melody works as a break from the rockier tracks previous.

'Mystery: The Secret part 2' is a continuum of part one but far better with more keyboard soloing to indulge in. The longest track on the album, Eloy attempt to throw in all of their patented ideas from previous albums but it doesn't come off as a highlight as sometimes less is more. However, it is still a decent composition, that could have been trimmed particularly the opening section that takes an eternity to get to its destination. The guitar riffs are nicely accomplished but Bornemann could have launched into a soaring lead break but restrains himself and yet this is a drawcard of his 70s musicianship, such as 'Castle in the Air' and 'Madhouse' that feature his guitar work at its finest.

'Thoughts' is a short acoustically driven conclusion but after a few slower songs it would have been beneficial to include an uptempo track to wake us up.

Overall, "Visionary" has a lot of merit to recommend it, and although it does not measure up to the adventurous classic 70s material it is still a great album. The band tend to steer clear of lengthy inventive soloing and opt instead for arena anthemic choruses and a plethora of vocals, and this is not necessarily a good thing. However, driven by melody and spacey atmospheres, it should appeal to Eloy fans and those who enjoy the mellow side of prog.

THE TIDES RETURN FOREVER - 1994

 Eloy's huge comeback album sounds very similar to the comeback album of Yes' "Fly From Here" where symphonic prog meets AOR and for the most part it is a pleasant experience. The songs are surprisingly upbeat Arena rock for Eloy and there are some excellent tracks to make it worthwhile. Of course Eloy's peak was in the seventies but they are still able to generate some inspiring music on each of their more recent albums. "The Tides Return Forever" ranks as a good album for Eloy, but to call this a masterpiece is really taking things too far, it is far from it.

The album begins well enough with 'The Day of Crimson Skies', with tons of synths and a nice guitar sound. The vocals are crystal clear and have that unique accent of Bornemann that I have been accustomed to on all of Eloy's releases. It is a decent song but nothing incredible, and is driven with strong melody and bright, perky musicianship, sounding like Yes in all respects.

'Fatal Illusions' returns to the 70's spacey soundscapes with swathes of synth lines and interstellar atmospherics. The Pink Floydian intro works well along with the solid drumming that soon kicks in. The musicianship is astounding on this and the vocals are again very easy on the ears. The chorus reminds me of the sound of Mostly Autumn and the lyrics are similar to compositions by Ayreon; "Here we are on the edge of time, fatal illusions of flight". The bridge in the song is a nice variation and the more I hear this song the more it grows on me.

An 'Echoes' ping begins 'Childhood Memories' and the synth sound by Gerlach is again like Pink Floyd. This is a very slow dreamy song and I like the reverberated guitar phrases. The lyrics and overall sound are uplifting to the emotions. The lovely instrumental section is stirring and this all comes across as a pleasant diversion from the upbeat songs of the album.

'Generation Of Innocence' brings the album back to dynamic energy. It features a vibrant keyboard from Gerlach and some heavier guitar from Bornemann. The guitar riff is simple but effective, and there are Yes-like harmonies throughout. The spirited vocals and sound are typical of the 90s and this brings to mind 1983's 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' in many ways. The keyboards are the main drawcard though and again it is one of the highlights on this album.

'The Tides Return Forever' is another highlight, perhaps the best on the album. Eloy are more ambitious here even incorporating soulful female vocals from Jocelyn B. Smith, who belts out some beautiful high soprano intonations. There is a majestic feel on this with some awesome atmospherics on keyboard and guitar. It builds from a gentle opening with Bornemann's voice sounding more like vintage Eloy. There is a very pretty melody to latch onto. Once Smith begins crooning I am lost in the beauty of this outstanding track.

'The Last in Line' returns to the style of their early 90s albums that were not very successful. The sound on this is very outdated, like the worst of the manufactured poppy 90s, with perky synths and dreadful processed sterile soundbytes. Even the anthemic chorus is cheesy and to be honest I am glad the rest of the album was not like this.

'Company of Angels' closes this album with the most bombastic track of all; a veritable epic. I like the musicianship but could have done without those bombastic male chorus vocals that sound like Vikings singing valiantly on their way to battle; "we roar like thunder, skies torn asunder, we fight to end the torture, the iron hand of God". Sometimes these types of vocals work on albums but here it just sounded weirdly out of place to me. The rest of the song though is decent and especially the melodic verses and synth soaked instrumental. Miriam Stockley's vocals are exquisite and the song gets better as it goes. The ending is powerful and majestic. The choral work at the end is better than the bombast previously, and it tends to grow on me. The twin lead guitar solo is stunning and it is joined by Bornemann's thin vocals nicely complimenting Gerlach's piano work. A great adventurous way to end the album.

Overall this album is a leap forward from the disappointment of Eloy's previous releases. Eloy know how to construct a song and there are some outstanding compositions on this album. The good far outweighs the bad in this case and it is consistent quality that makes the difference.

BEST TRACKS from both

VISIONARY

Age of Insanity (7:56)

The Challenge (Time to Turn, Part 2) (6:44)
Summernight Symphony (4:22)

THE TIDES RETURN FOREVER

Fatal Illusions (9:22) 

Generation Of Innocence (6:10) 
The Tides Return Forever (6:40) 

That's about an albums worth (40 minutes) of brilliant Eloy so no complaints from me.

More Eloy reviews coming soon (when the 6 albums finally arrive