Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Eloy
Label: SPV Records
Released: 1994
Rating: 4/5
“The Tides Return Forever” was a big, pleasant surprise for the legendary German space rockers Eloy, coming after the thoroughly mediocre predecessor “Destination” (1992). It brought their all-but-dead progressive rock roots back to life and marked a return to old form, something their fans had been hungrily waiting for ever since the turn of the 80s, or rather since the album “Metromania” (1984). The band’s sudden rebirth was surely helped along by the unexpected commercial success of the two releases “Chronicles I” (1993) and Chronicles II” (1994), which featured freshly re-recorded versions of some Eloy classics. Through those classics, some listeners started to (re)discover their rich legacy, and the general revival of interest in prog rock classics in the 90s poured fresh oil into the band’s thoroughly burnt-out engine.
Frank Bornemann, guitarist/vocalist and bandleader, and his longtime collaborator, keyboardist Michael Gerlach, decided it was time for a thorough rebirth of the Eloy sound and a return to the traditional space rock heritage, without shying away from a few innovative experiments and modern production along the way. Whereas on the previous album only Frank and Michael formed the skeleton of the lineup, helped out by a bunch of occasional guests, on “The Tides Return Forever” Eloy finally sound like a band again. Bassist Klaus-Peter Matziol came back as a permanent member (he had already guested on the previous album), which was surely an important gain. Drummer Nico Baretta also became a full-fledged member, and thanks to the improved production his contribution sounds much more organic and dynamic here. Of course, this time too there was no shortage of backing singers (mostly female) and grand choral vocal harmonies, among which the incredible Jocelyn B. Smith deserves special mention for her fantastic vocal performance on the title track, as does Miriam Stockley on the closing historical epic.
The band’s sound on “The Tides Return Forever” has become much more organic and alive, the individual arrangements breathe at full steam again, and for the most part they radiate that trademark “cosmic” atmosphere. The rhythmic interplay is varied enough to thrill even the most demanding prog gourmets. After the obvious creative crisis on the previous album, Frank’s songwriting inspiration has blossomed to the point where there are quite a few tracks here that could run for Eloy classic status. Besides their traditional approach, which usually sits on the border between space rock and symphonic prog rock, the band adds assorted touches of melodic rock, heavy rock and even German-style power metal to some of the compositions. Frank, incidentally, had been openly fascinated with the latter for several years. For all the complexity of the symphonic arrangements, Eloy keep the melodies high throughout, which makes the album accessible to a wider crowd as well. The return of the classic Eloy logo, which graced the covers of their best albums in the past, is further proof that things have changed for the better.
The opening energy booster “The Day Of Crimson Skies”, an excellent blend of traditional Eloy prog elements with a pinch of AOR in the chorus, proves right away that the genuine Eloy magic is back. A mighty guitar riff is backed by energetic layers of synths and an exceptionally lively rhythm. The finesse of the drum fills, combined with melodic, multi-layered synth textures, at times even leans a bit toward some of the creations of the Canadian art rock champions Rush, which is a very interesting and distinctive achievement in the band’s history. Frank’s excellent singing, which tilts slightly toward Geddy Lee, is also partly “to blame” for this kinship. It’s even one of the best vocal performances of his career. It’s less about technical progress than about finally learning to present himself better in line with the individual motifs. The excellent melodic chorus with its dramatic AOR flavor is also worth a mention. Prog connoisseurs, meanwhile, will be satisfied by the sprawling, ambient instrumental sections between the individual motifs.
Next comes another interesting mix of space rock and melodic rock, “Fatal Illusions”, with which the band proves it hasn’t forgotten how to craft moving ambient keyboard curtains and “weeping” guitar solos. Frank is far from stingy with those solos this time, and he successfully follows in the footsteps of his stylistic role model David Gilmour (Pink Floyd). After a long ambient intro on guitar and keyboards, a mighty riff and punchy drum fills kick in and start building up ever more drama. Then comes an excellent transition into a relaxing section with an almost funk rhythm, a witty guitar riff and a thick bass line. This track too has an excellent melodic rock chorus. All the while, ambient keyboard curtains flow in the background, contrasting wonderfully with the punchy riffs and decisive drum fills. The ending is reminiscent of the ticking of a clock hand.
The melancholic “Childhood Memories”, where the album calms down for a moment, has a nostalgic intro on ethnic percussion before tipping over into a majestic symphonic section with highly atmospheric layers of multi-part keyboards, light passages on acoustic guitar and yet another very good vocal performance from Frank. Here Eloy show once again, after a long time, that they’re true masters of majestic space rock atmosphere, which has the power to carry the listener into a very pleasant spiritual ecstasy, if you surrender to it enough. The bouncy “Generation Of Innocence” is a rhythmically very rich creation with an interesting motif formed by the keyboards and the central guitar riff. That motif leans quite a bit toward some Yes track (from the era with Trevor Rabin). Frank’s falsetto approach, which leans a little toward Jon Anderson, adds to that. The middle section doesn’t lack for an excellent instrumental passage with a mouthwatering guitar solo full of melancholic vibes, as well as an equally superb keyboard solo.
Next up is the phenomenal title epic, the majestic “The Tides Return Forever”, which is the central composition of the album and without a doubt one of the best and deepest pieces in the band’s story. This classic has a lot in common with the immortal Pink Floyd classic “The Great Gig In The Sky”, above all in the excellent use of a passionate guest female vocal in the second part of the composition, when it reaches incredibly majestic proportions. The intro features Frank’s melancholic and slightly mysterious vocal, which slowly builds a dramatic mood with the help of pastoral acoustic guitar accompaniment and keyboard curtains in the background. At first it seems like it’ll be just a pastoral ballad, but then rich symphonic arrangements, a punchy guitar riff and multi-part vocal harmonies crash in majestically, creating indescribable space rock drama. And that’s nothing compared to the moment when, after a short acoustic guitar passage, a mega soul vocal performed by Jocelyn B. Smith joins the composition, backed by a female backing choir. Her majestic singing lifts the composition up another quality class and reaches almost the same grandeur that Clare Torry once achieved on “The Great Gig In The Sky”. Some nitpickers will accuse Eloy (as they have many times in their career) of copying Pink Floyd too much, though there really is no reason not to reuse a certain idea/motif, if it’s a good one, in completely new colors. With this composition, Eloy have created one of their classics again after a long time, and it can’t be praised enough.
The very solid “The Last In Line” is an almost traditional Eloy composition with mighty synth arrangements, a bouncy rhythm and decisive guitar riffs, with no shortage of witty instrumental passages. There’s also an almost-AOR chorus with excellent multi-part vocal harmonies and mouthwatering drum fills, which will appeal to all melodic rock fans, as it’s clearly the most accessible piece on the album.
To close, there’s the orgasmic-majestic progressive rock/power metal epic “Company Of Angels”, which tells of the ups and downs of the Knights Templar, above all their bloody “exploits” in the Crusades (historical themes have always been a favorite in the band’s tradition). This majestic composition is truly the cherry on top of the album, and another Eloy classic. Its musical structure is extremely interesting and unusual by normal Eloy standards. You could describe it as a mix of symphonic prog rock and power metal elements, drawing on the tradition of some of the best German bands in that genre. That’s hardly a surprise and was only a matter of time, given that Bornemann had long been a kind of patron of the metal scene and, back in the day, the producer of the cult German power metallers Heavens Gate.
The pastoral-baroque intro on Frank’s vocal and gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment already signals that this is the opening of some majestic creation that will leave an extremely strong impression on the listener for a long time. The power metal “battle” moments arrive with a mighty chorus featuring pompous choral vocal harmonies, a punchy guitar riff and merciless swings at the drums. That motif leans heavily toward something by Gamma Ray, and it’s the closest Eloy have ever come to power metal. The middle section brings a complex instrumental part with an excellent keyboard solo from Gerlach and Frank’s layered guitar expansions. Miriam Stockey’s female backing vocals create an excellent contrast with the battle-ready male choir, while ambient keyboard patterns crank up the pompous drama. The space rock insert arrives with multi-part solos on guitar and keyboards. If on “Jeanne d Arc”, the medieval epic from the previous album, which also featured strong female choral harmonies, Eloy didn’t quite manage to create a high atmosphere from start to finish, then with “Company Of Angels” they more than succeeded. The best piece on the album and a timeless Eloy classic that simply can’t be praised enough. At the same time, it can serve as an example to all power metallers of how to create an intelligent and instrumentally rich historical epic without needless pretentiousness.
“The Tides Return Forever” was a majestic return to the path of old glory, an album that confirmed that even in their later years Eloy can still surprise with fresh, varied and exciting compositions, combining their classic sound and the “cosmic” atmosphere that had been missed for so long with some completely new, previously unused ideas, mainly from the world of melodic rock and power metal, which worked out more than well. If Eloy hadn’t already created some majestic works in the past that helped shape the history of progressive rock, I’d call “The Tides Return Forever” a masterpiece without exaggeration. The album is one of the best returns to old glory in the story of progressive rock. It didn’t miss masterpiece status by much, perhaps only a connecting and interesting concept (which they were always best at) and more floating space rock arrangements of the kind they made in the 70s. They would manage to achieve that with their next album, the sequel to their magnum opus “Ocean” (1977), which would surpass the wildest expectations and finally bring them their first masterpiece since “Time To Turn” (1982). Eloy went through a new bloom after this album, and it looked like the band would live on for a long time, but sadly the future turned out differently.
Line-up
Frank Bornemann – vocals, guitar
Michael Gerlach – keyboards, backing vocals
Klaus-Peter Matziol – bass guitar
Nico Barretta – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Peter Beckett – backing vocals (5-6-7)
Tom Jackson – backing vocals (5-6-7)
Bettina Lux – backing vocals (6)
Steve Mann – acoustic guitar solo (5)
Dirk Michaelis – acoustic guitar (3)
Suzanne Schätzle – backing vocals (6)
Jocelyn B. Smith – backing vocals (5)
Miriam Stockley – backing vocals (7)
Ralf Vornberger – acoustic guitar (5)
Production
Frank Bornemann
Track list
1. The Day Of Crimson Skies (5:02)
2. Fatal Illusions (9:22)
3. Childhood Memories (6:22)
4. Generation Of Innocence (6:10)
5. The Tides Return Forever (6:40)
6. The Last In Line (4:01)
7. Company Of Angels (9:45)
Total running time: 47:22
