THE VISION, THE SWORD AND THE PYRE - PART I

After more than 25 years of research and hard work, Frank Bornemann finally makes his dream come true with this first half of a two-part rock opera dedicated to Jeanne d'Arc. This album had better be a masterpiece, and it actually is. Frank took his time, and it was worth waiting. Every single minute of the album is a delight of highly skilled musicianship and highly inspired music.

Don't be too intimidated by the word "opera" in "rock opera". There are no singing dialogues. Only a few parts are spoken, cleverly distributed throughout the disc. It is still a rock album, with Frank's unimitable vocals. More than that : it's a standard of what progressive rock is about, full of breaks and different time signatures. The classic Eloy sound is here : lush guitars and synths, this time with a light medieval flavour.

I never wrote a review before this. First, because english is not my native language. Second of all, though there are plenty of well known masterpieces here to talk about, this one is quite unexpected. This is the album every fan wishes his favourite band would come with, after close to 50 years of activity. Eloy are back in their full majesty.