ELOY

ELOY's debut album clearly stands apart from their later opus, in that it contains almost zero space/SF references, for which they would come to be well known and respected in the following years. This is a basic, heavy prog sound, more rooted in the bluesy hard rock than in prog. Heavy guitar riffs and solo parts are overwhelming, reminding sometimes of Rory Gallagher's TASTE lengthy improvisations. This is a fine rocking effort but some extended tracks sound a bit underdeveloped and repetitive. British heavy rock acts of the era were obviously influencing the ELOY's songwriting - the closer "Dillus Roady" is based on the guitar riff that was practically lifted from URIAH HEEP's "Gypsy" - which is not a bad thing per se. However, in order to come up with their own original ideas and identity ELOY had to work a bit harder, changing the band line-up in the process. This is a good heavy rock album but is not something essential.