METROMANIA

In 2002, after a long spell when I was enthraced for about 4 years just hearing the new found genre of ´prog-metal´ I decided it was about time to go back to my 70´s roots and get some of the records that I had loved so much in the Compact Disc format this time. Some I hadn´t heard for over 15 years or so. Eloy´s Inside was one of them. A friend had a imported records store and he was selling some russian CDs that were the 2 LPs in 1 CD kind. It was relatively quite cheap and I got my first that had Eloy´s Inside plus Time To Turn. I didin´t realize till then that Eloy was such a great band, since not many of their records were released in Brazil. But I was so taken by those two that - as it is my wont - I went back to that store and ended up getting all of their discography (up to Destination) in a very short time. It was one of the best bargains I got in my life, since I enjoyed them all (bar the first). Some more, some less. Also the russian remastering versions were way better than Eloy´s available recordings at the time in the west, and it is still impressive.

So I think I´m one of the few reviewers here who had always liked Metromania. At the time it was released the band was getting some real harsh critizing for their previous Performance album of 1983. Metromania came next and it was hailed by some as a kind of ´redeemer´ work. Well, not so much. Neither Performance was that bad nor Metromania that good. They both are much similar, as far as I can tell. Ok, the songs on Perfomance were a little too light and had a couple of more popish tracks on it. Metromania on the other hand conceded to the market bringing in some ´modern´ elements that were in fashion (electronic drums and synth timbres). plus a little heavier guitar sounds. But the songwriting and the perfomances on both records are pretty much the same:brilliant playing and good songs. Why all the fuss??

Well, one has to face the fact that those two records were coming on the heels of some of their best work ever (Planets and Time To Turn, released on 1981 and 82, respectively). Compared to those two CDs It´s easy to see why so many fans and critics were disappointed. But I guess it was just asking too much for any artist or group to be forever on the top of their game. And even more so if you remember that the time those albums came out were not a good period for prog music in general. So I guess the pressures of having to release something more radio friendly or ´up to date´ was immense. After all, they all had to make a living. Still, they were able to at least release some decent material under those circunstances. The same cannot be said of so many former great prog acts around.

When I hear Metromania nowadays it sounds a little dated because of the syndrums and general synth sounds. But, like its previous efford, this is far from bad or weak. The band was in fine form and deliver a good set of songs plus a stunning interpretation of the material. I´ve always loved some of the tracks here like the powerful Follow the Light (the CD´s highlight), Seeds of Creation, Scape To The Heights and the title track. Like all their releases after Inside, there is not one crap song to be found. The production again is very good. It is a pity taht this would be the last album with this line up and the the last one under Eloy´s banner for a decade or more.

In all I think Metromania, as well as Perfomance, is a quite enjoyable and good album. Not on par with their major works, but good nonetheless. And I´m happy to have them all., it´s been a pleasure to hear those CDs after all these years on a regular basis. With so much else available in my collection, this is really a great feat. Eloy is one of the great prog bands of all the time. They produced fine records, even in their lowest moments.

Rating: somewhere 3 and 3,5 stars.