Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Eloy
Label: SPV Records
Release: 1992
Rating: 2.5/5
“Destination” was, just like its synth-laced but better predecessor “Ra” (1988), the fruit of a collaboration between the band’s boss, i.e. guitarist/vocalist Frank Bornemann, and keyboardist Michael Gerlach. The two were the only official members of the group during this relatively rough patch for the legendary German progressive rock outfit, when ideas about where to take the sound next were running chronically short. Longtime bassist Klaus-Peter Matziol guested on two tracks, “Silent Revolution” and “Racing Shadows”, and returned as a full-time member soon after the album came out, which was kind of inevitable. The rest of the bass duties went to the noticeably less gifted Detlev Goy and Helge Engelke, while after a short-lived experiment with a drum machine, Nico Baretta sat down behind the kit as a guest. The aim of this album was to give the sound of these already pretty rusty prog legends a bit of a rebirth, but sadly it didn’t pan out the way they’d hoped. Eloy always worked best as a band, not as a duo with the odd guest.
Frank did have quite a few good, fresh ideas for this album, like bringing in Lenny MacDowell’s flute on “Call Of The Wild” and “Destination” (something you hadn’t heard on an Eloy record since the ancient “Inside” from 1973), and adding a choir on the closing “Jeanne d’Arc”. Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t exactly top-notch, and most of the tracks leave a rather pale impression, as if Frank had run out of imagination when writing most of the arrangements. The album is chronically short on that traditional Eloy space rock adventurousness that could carry a listener off to “distant galaxies” with its unique atmosphere. The symphonic elements are pretty shy in favor of heavy rock moments, and above all you miss more rhythmic variety, even if it gets a little better in the second half.
As usual and as expected, Frank turns out to be the best of the instrumentalists. His guitar specialties mostly lean toward hard rock riffing rather than the longer, ambient space rock solos typical of the band’s best days. His singing, though, was (as usual) a double-edged sword. Already on “Ra” he started using a falsetto style in the vein of Jon Anderson (Yes) or Les Holroyd (BJH). Here he just pushed it further, and the results weren’t always thrilling. On the one hand, it let him hide his traditionally strong German accent, which some critics had pointed to in Eloy’s past as the band’s main flaw; on the other, it keeps some of the songs from landing as hard as they could have, since in some arrangements he simply doesn’t sound comfortable in this new vocal role.
Most of the tracks promise a lot in the opening moments, but usually end up falling short of their potential and kind of dissolve in a flood of failed ideas or in repetitiveness. The album opens with the solid hard rocker “Call Of The Wild”. It’s marked by an ambient synth intro that sounds like rushing waves, before a very good guitar riff crashes in along with the falsetto vocal that forms the central melody. MacDowell’s flute gives the song a touch of folk playfulness, while the synths add a pinch of the necessary space rock mystique. Sadly, the rhythm section sounds pretty basic and the song gets repetitive fast. “Racing Shadows” has a short instrumental intro with Matziol’s pulsing bass (the difference in quality compared to the other two bassists on the album is huge) and ambient keyboard patterns. Once Frank’s falsetto comes in, with keyboard arrangements that just don’t suit it, the song sails into a building but repetitive groove. The atmosphere never manages to develop the way it could, because the drums sound way too sterile. The only thing that lifts the impression a bit is Frank’s excellent guitar solo, which for a moment brings back memories of their golden days.
Next up is the title track “Destination”, a pretty big flop and a nice example of a chronic lack of imagination in songwriting. After a boring intro on a sterile drum machine, accompanied by falsetto vocals and the occasional choir, the song moves via synth patterns into a section with real, but no less repetitive, drums. Bits of flute pop up along the way, but only really come into their own with the closing solo, one of the few good things about this track. Here too the falsetto lacks the right depth, and in the end the whole thing comes off as mind-numbingly dull. “Prisoner in Mind” is a much better effort, with a mighty heavy rock guitar riff and fiery drum fills that put it almost on the border of heavy metal. That’s also thanks to Frank’s vocal sounding more like himself again, and to the song keeping up, through its main riff, the drama that’s otherwise so lacking on this album. It’s kind of ironic that the better songs on the album are the ones with a distinct heavy rock component rather than those flirting with traditional Eloy prog rock elements.
That gets confirmed again on the high-voltage “Silent Revolution”, which might even be the best track on the album. After an ambient intro, sawing guitar riffing crashes in along with the double-bass drum rhythm typical of most German heavy/power metal bands, instantly sending the song into the ranks of the heaviest things in Eloy’s history. Frank’s singing is energetic enough here that the high kinetic charge of this red-hot track never fizzles out. The unexpected turns and quality instrumental moments on guitar and keys are also impressive. And when the children’s choir vocals come in, weaving between the dramatic drum fills and Frank’s voice, the song tips over to a whole other level. “Fire And Ice” is another one of the better tracks on the album, maybe the closest to that traditional Eloy sound, since the balance between the vocals, punchy guitar passages, fiery drum fills and ambient keyboard parts is just right. An excellent guitar solo adds to the song’s quality too. “Eclipse Of Mankind” promises a lot in the first part, where high ambience and refined keyboard and guitar passages dominate, but sadly it doesn’t turn out as well as it could have, even though the closing “weeping” guitar solo lifts it to an enviable ambient level. Even though it doesn’t manage to capture that real Eloy space rock magic it’s obviously flirting with, it’s still a decent track compared to some of the rather botched experiments on this album.
The ambitious closing symphonic epic “Jeanne d’Arc”, about the trials and sad end of the French national heroine, the Maid of Orléans, has everything it takes to be the best track on the album, since it doesn’t lack grandiose moments, but sadly it gets way too tangled up in a kind of mush of different musical styles that somewhat smother the energetic, tense atmosphere you’d expect from a prog rock epic drawing inspiration from the life of one of the best-known and most tragic female figures in human history. After a calm, almost pastoral intro on acoustic guitar and a mysterious vocal, a female choir suddenly crashes in, delivering epic drama. Solid orchestral arrangements and church bell sounds add their bit as well. Soon after, everything calms down completely again for a while instead of building up the drama and energy. In the next moment a marching military rhythm kicks in and, over acoustic guitar and orchestral arrangements, turns into the best part of the piece. The pompous multi-voice refrains, which lean a little toward some German power metal bands, deserve praise too. In the end, despite the noticeable drop in atmosphere in the second half, it’s a good attempt at returning to their former symphonic grandeur, even if, as said, with a few slightly different arrangements it could have been an Eloy classic.
“Destination” was a pretty average album by usual Eloy standards, lacking the traditional Eloy magic that once let them easily whisk listeners off on a spiritual journey through time and space. As such, it doesn’t deserve wider attention from most prog (space) rock fans. It would be unfair to call it the worst album in their history, since most of the tracks are perfectly listenable, some of the unusual ideas (flute, choir vocals) turned out fine, and there are still more good moments than bad ones, not to mention the instrumental work of the Bornemann-Gerlach duo, who are, as usual, at a high level throughout. Still, the album can’t escape the stamp of the least inspired release in their story, or the fact that it lacks those true Eloy masterpieces that could, with their esotericism or drama, send shivers down the listener’s spine. Apart from die-hard Eloy fans, it’ll be no great tragedy if most prog gourmets skip this half-baked effort.
Lineup
Frank Bornemann – vocals, guitar
Michael Gerlach – keyboards
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Nico Baretta – drums
Klaus-Peter Matziol – bass guitar (2-5)
Hege Engelke – bass guitar (3-4), rhythm guitar (4), acoustic guitar (6)
Detlev Goy – bass guitar (1-6-8)
Lenny MacDowell – flute (1-3)
Kai Steffen – lead guitar (5)
Peter Chrastina – choir arrangements
Production
Frank Bornemann
Track list
1. Call Of The Wild (6:49)
2. Racing Shadows (7:11)
3. Destination (7:41)
4. Prisoner Of The Mind (4:26)
5. Silent Revolution (7:55)
6. Fire And Ice (5:10)
7. Eclipse Of Mankind (6:29)
8. Jeanne d’Arc (7:36)
Album length: 53:36
