TIME TO TURN

The last significant effort of Eloy before the fall that was so common to many bands in the 80s starts with a song between Alan Parsons and Pink Floyd. Nothing strange, it's the year of "Pink Project" a lucky single which mixed Another Brick in The Wall and Mammagamma, so it's what remains of the prog sound of that times, just before the neo-prog wave. "Through A Somber Galaxy" has the bass and keyboards very in line with Parsons, the guitar very similar to the Gilmour of WYWH and Animals and the terrible vocals of Bornemann, that even if terrible with his accent is a trademark of the band.

"Behind The Walls of Imagination" has something of the old times. Only five years are passed from the release of a masterpiece like Ocean and they are already "old times". Have a Cigar is the source of inspiration for bass and keys on this good track.

The title track radio friendly but on this track Bornemann sing sin a very unusual way for him. There's some vibrato that makes him sound similar (not too much, just a bit) to Roger Chapman. The female choir seems stolen from Waters and appears a little outplaced, but the song is everything but bad.

"Magic Mirrors" is another typical Eloy song. The "Parsonesque" bass and drums are counterbalanced by the keyboards, but it's a song totally into the 80s.

"End Of An Odyssey" is the longest track and has a very spacey intro. Surely the best track of the album which sometimes reminds to Yes or even to Vangelis for the keyboards. The drums are great on this track until minute 4 when it calms down and gives room to a space rock suite. Without vocals it could have been a masterpiece. It's not for Bornemann's voice, it's the melody that makes it "just a song".

"The Flash" is interesting even if a bit commercial. The influence of Alan Parsons is more than evident, the part in 4/4 sounds almost "disco" but is saved by a good keyboard riff.

Acoustic guitar is listened for the first time in this album with the closer. "Say, Is It Really True" is a great song. Even Bornemann when doesn't scream has a decent voice. It's an excellent closer. Unfortunately it closes an era. Considering that this should have been the second album of Planets was it released as a double LP, I would have expected something better, but probably the label has some responsibilities.

In any case it deserves its three good stars