SILENT CRIES AND MIGHTY ECHOES

Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes almost sees Eloy beating the masters at their own game - the two-part opener of 'Astral Entrance/Master Of Sensation' initially cuts PINK FLOYD's 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond (part 1)' real close and then lurches into a bass-heavy rhythm that's lifted straight from their song 'Sheep' (without Roger's flange effects), one could criticise the band as mere copyists and not of much value. Well, I'd like to think they have immense value, despite the similarities, and stand by the few that rate this band (and album) highly. Regarding instrumentation, Detlev Schmidtchen's keyboards are amazing, with vibrant moog solos cutting through brightly alongside the full-sounding organ and string-synths constantly floating in the background. Klaus-Peter Matziol has a great sound, style and feel, demonstrating a solid and elaborate quality to his playing - just listen to 'Pilot To Paradise', such a dynamic bass-line he came up with there. Jurgen Rosenthal (once of THE SCORPIONS, on the sensational 'Fly to the Rainbow' album) is still sitting behind the drums and is always a treat to hear, and Frank Bornemann's proficient guitaring supplies lots of spacey vibes and tasteful soloing. I've never found his accented vocals to be a problem as many do, but then my folks have a strong European accent to this day, which may help me in overlooking such matters. The award for best track goes to the near-15 minute three-part cosmic epic 'The Apocalypse' - one can still get lost in this stuff without the aid of any 'herbal remedies'. 5 stars !!!