ELOY: Ocean (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After a discography now well launched with two last conceptual albums ("Power and the Passion" and "Dawn"), and regenerated by an almost complete change of personnel during the realization of "Dawn", Eloy is going to realize in this year 1977 what remains to this day not only his biggest sale but also his most beautiful artistic success.

To quickly situate the success of this "Ocean", two anecdotes should be noted: 'Poseidon's Creation' became the theme song of Tatort, one of the most famous television series in Germany. Finally, 15 years after its release, the album received a gold-award from Emi, rewarding the 250,000 copies sold in Germany alone. Of course, this is not necessarily a guarantee of quality, but the content of this opus will prove that commercial success and artistic quality in progressive music can go hand in hand.

What more beautiful myth could Eloy associate with his cosmic-progressive music than that of Atlantis? As a fan of science fiction, esoteric lyrics and soaring music, the band obviously couldn't miss this "tribute". First of all, the magnificent painting by Wojtek Siudmak that adorns the album's cover immediately sets the scene for an escapist experience.

Musically, 'Poseidon's Creation' plunges the listener into a phantasmagorical world: Jürgen Rosenthal's infernal drums and percussion, supported by Peter Matziol's rumbling bass, come to support a host of synths, Mellotron and Hammond, while Frank Bornemann's guitar throws its sharp flashes. The instrumental themes repeat themselves, intertwining, offering multiple twists, while the vocal parts, more like narration, come to rest on the quietest passages. Unquestionably, the band's new rhythm section leads the dance, and leads us into a crazy saraband.

The three other tracks of the album, although presenting a generally calmer atmosphere, will prolong the futuristic atmosphere so well planted, and provide a more than fertile ground for future live interpretations that we will find with happiness on the album of the same name.

With "Ocean", Eloy's style is here at its peak, a successful combination of soaring sounds, judicious use of synths, with a borderline Hard Rock side proposed by the two rhythmic maniacs, a combination of a drummer whose playing conceals multiple embellishments and a bass player whose comparison with the great Chris Squire is not usurped.

Apart from an outdated production that the remaster slightly attenuates, there's really nothing to throw away in this great album, an ideal entry point for those who want to learn the Eloy style and an essential reference for the band's fans. - Official website

ELOY

OCEAN

EMI

PROGRESSIVE ROCK