Label: Drakkar
Release date: 23. 6. 2023
Production: Frank Bornemann
Album length: 48.57 min.
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 8.0/10
The legendary prog veterans Eloy have always been real oddballs. Despite their German roots, they never belonged to the so-called krautrock scene. Their style was closer to space rock in the early years and later to symphonic prog rock from the classic British school. They never managed to break into America (or maybe that’s exactly why), but today they’re one of the most respected prog rock bands around, and they go all the way back to the sixties.
With “Echoes From The Past”, this hardy band, led by the indestructible guitarist, singer and producer Frank Bornemann, has recorded the third part of the ambitious concept saga “The Vision, the Sword and the Pryre”. On the previous two albums, Mr. Bornemann dove into the life of the French national heroine Joan of Arc quite successfully and convincingly, with real historical rigor. He’s probably the biggest German fan of the Maid of Orléans, and he first bowed to her way back in 1992 on the album “Destination”, which featured the song “Jeanne d’Arc”.
The third act of the concept saga takes place after Joan’s death at the stake and plays out through the eyes of her companion and escort, the French knight Jean de Metz. On “Echoes From The Past”, de Metz nostalgically looks back on Joan’s life and recaps the key events from the first two albums. Full credit to Frank for the historical accuracy, dedication and drive, which even the biggest French fan of history’s most famous female warrior would envy (in modern times her image and legacy are sadly often hijacked by assorted French nationalists and extremists, as tends to happen with historical figures like her).
Still, on “Echoes From The Past” the historical concept is already showing slight signs of fatigue. It’s the story of an unlucky girl who burned at the stake at just 19 and whom the Holy See won’t leave in peace even after her death. A couple of centuries later it turned her from the worst heretic and witch into an immaculate saint, even though the pope is supposedly infallible according to official church doctrine. Through de Metz’s eyes, i.e. the individual lyrics on the album, we don’t learn anything new about Joan’s life. There’s plenty of speculation to this day that Joan’s favorite knight harbored secret romantic feelings for her, and some songs on “Echoes From The Past” hint at that in a fairly metaphorical way.
Musically, “Echoes From The Past” is roughly on the same level of quality as both of its predecessors. That means it’s an extremely solid album with all the recognizable Eloy virtues, led by grandiose symphonic arrangements interwoven with eclectic guitar passages and complex time changes. The first good thing is that the often tiresome, exhausting narration is much less present this time than on the previous two albums.
Besides his band, of which only longtime bassist Klaus-Peter Matziol and relatively new drummer Stephan Emig (who joined in 2019) remain on “Echoes From The Past”, Frank called in various guest keyboardists. He also brought in a few talented backing singers again, who occasionally do a great job enriching his vocals, which are marked by that unmistakable German accent. Over the years Frank has turned that flaw into a charming quirk and the band’s most recognizable musical element, and he’s done it quite successfully. The combination of Frank’s singing and the female backing harmonies shines especially on the title track and on “Fate”, which are among the album’s highlights. At the same time Eloy still handle ambient drama very well, and that stands out especially on “Danger”, with its fluid switching between punchy guitar passages and symphonic harmonies.
It’s safe to say that “Echoes From The Past” won’t win the German prog rock champions a new generation of fans. Longtime followers won’t be jumping to the ceiling in ecstasy while listening either. As expected, it’s no new masterpiece in the style of the classic Eloy albums from the second half of the seventies and first half of the eighties, nor anything like the excellent “Ocean 2” (1998). It’s ‘merely’ a very solid release. Still, it’s a collection of quality compositions with the recognizable Eloy sound and atmosphere, which will satisfy most of the faithful.
It’s great that Eloy are still ’kicking’, so we’ll be waiting for their next studio effort with great interest. Let’s just hope the next studio project isn’t a fourth part of the Maid of Orléans saga, with a concept about Joan’s adventures and misadventures through alternate history: what would have happened if Joan hadn’t fallen into Burgundian captivity, then lived a ’normal’, ’de-virginized’ life with a partner and kids and died a natural death? Kind of in the style of Jesus’s closing vision from the controversial film ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’, with David Bowie as Pontius Pilate and a score by Peter Gabriel.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Conspiracy (5:45)
2. Compassion for Misery (3:05)
3. Echoes from the Past (5:39)
4. Danger (4:42)
5. Deceptive Glory (5:10)
6. Warning Signs (6:34)
7. Fate (3:21)
8. The Pyre (9:22)
9. Farewell (5:19)
Lineup:
Frank Bornemann – lead vocals, backing vocals, all guitars
Steve Mann – keyboards
Klaus-Peter Matziol – bass guitar
Stephan Emig – drums, percussion
