ELOY: Echoes From The Past (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

With the publication of the diptych devoted to the passion of his life, we thought Franck Bornemann had departed from Joan of Arc, and incidentally Eloy's career was over. Not so! After having retraced the main stages of her short life up to her burning at the stake in his last two opuses, the German group is back at it again for a new (and probably) final installment devoted to the adventures of the virgin of Lorraine, in the form of a testimony outside her epic, and which could well be akin to the author's impressions of the research he has carried out over all these years on this slice of history.

Franck Bornemann's new opus, which comes as no surprise to anyone, features a wealth of references to the band's entire body of work. These include the instrumental introduction to 'Conspiracy' ('Poseidon's Creation' on "Ocean"), the female backing vocals on 'Fate' ('The Tides Return Forever' on the album of the same name) and the swinging rhythm of 'Warning Signs', more than a little reminiscent of 'The Answer' (on "Ocean II").

All the usual ingredients of Eloy's music are present: a humming, swirling bass, space-filling keyboard tones, omnipresent drums with their echo-laden toms, and on top of all this, the leader's alternately rhythmic or solo guitar to maintain the band's spirit and the sometimes pompous side resulting from the superimposition of numerous layers of sound, regularly sublimated by female backing vocals.

More varied than its predecessor (the second part of the concept), with melodies that hold up better, and much less prone to the narrative parts that might have bothered some, "Echoes From the Past" nevertheless suffers from a flaw linked to the captain's age. At almost eight decades of age, Frank Bornemann's voice is now restricted to a rather low range, with no particular emphasis and a very limited range, resulting in tracks that follow on from each other in similar, monotone tones throughout the album. Fortunately, the instrumental parts are still in Eloy's characteristic style, decried by some, adored by others, all served up with monumental production that showcases each instrument to its best advantage.

The album closes with an evocatively-titled track ('Farewell'), concluding the triptych dedicated to Joan of Arc, and very probably marking the end of Eloy's career. A band often disparaged for its proximity to a few names whose fame has surpassed its own, but nevertheless the author of an imposing discography spanning five decades and including many peaks. Not everyone can say the same. - Official website

ELOY

ECHOES FROM THE PAST

DRAKKAR

PROGRESSIVE ROCK