After a decade of silence, German Progressive Rock band, Eloy, returns to the fold with a brand new album called ‘Visionary’. Guitarist and lead vocalist Frank Bornemann wanted to recreate the band’s vintage sound which he’s successful in this task. I would say the music is a mixture of ’Silent Cries & Mighty Echoes’ on through to “Time To Turn’, while having a modern production..
Joining Frank are Klaus-Peter Matziol (bass), Michael Gerlach & Hannes Folberth (keyboards) and Bodo Schopf (drums).All of which are all past members from different eras. Together they make some of the best songs in the Eloy cannon. While not original or ground breaking, the band is possibly the tightest to date.
‘Visionary’ is a short album by modern standards which to some fans is the perfect length. It appears that the emphasis of ‘Visionary’ is more concise structurally than on previous albums.
Opening the album is “The Refuge” which reminds me of material covered on ‘Silent Cries & Mighty Echoes’. I would add that “Age Of Insanity” has the same vibe. The longest is “Mystery” which is subtitled as Part 2 to “The Secret”. It’s one of my favorites on the album and reminds me of the material found on “Time To Turn” or “Planets”.
“The Challenge” is a sequel to “Time To Turn” in both concept and instrumentation. The shortest track is “Thoughts”, an acoustic based song which closes the album perfectly.
Visionary is a solid release and appeals to both long-time fans such as myself and fans of melodic progressive rock. While nothing ground- breaking, it just has a more refined sound than past efforts. and garners a high recommendation.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on March 20th, 2010
