PLANETS

The fictionalised story of Ion, inhabitant of the planet Salta, who fights to save humanity from threatening evil forces (inspired by the critical vision of consumer society as expressed in the book 'After Us, the Future' by Swiss economist and pacifist Hans A. Pestalozzi), serves as a behavioural argument for Eloy to develop a conceptual work divided into two instalments. "Planets" (1981), the first of them and the ninth album by the band led by Frank Bornemann, takes a step back in Eloy's musical proposal after the several steps forward they took with "Colours" in their search for more accessible sonorities starting in the 80s.

And so it is that "Planets" combines linear elements with nuances taken from their most precious albums, to recreate cosmic and orchestrated atmospheres that accompany their story, and although the magic no longer seems to work with the same conviction as before, partly conditioned by the self-demand to elaborate more approachable and short pieces, the themes that take them back to their astral and recognised past stand out, such as the galloping, rasping hypnotism of "Point of No Return" (surely the best track on the album), Hannes Folberth's initial arpeggiated guitars and keyboard (a little nod to the Genesian 'In the Cage') in "Mysterious Monolith", the beautiful piano and vocal intro of the orchestrated "Queen of the Night", and the instrumentals "Introductions" and "At the Gates of Dawn" despite a certain weightless monotony in both developments.

And the attempts to ingratiate themselves with more energetic and aspirational landscapes come from the hand of the plaintive "On the Verge of Darkening Lights" and Folberth's interesting keyboard solo, the expectant and disturbed "Sphinx", and the conclusive "Carried by Cosmic Winds", achieving in good measure their task even being a few steps below the best times of the Germans.

3/3.5 stars