TRANCE-FORMATION (WITH THE SECRET SOCIETY)

Eberhard Schoener made a name in classical music as a sound arranger and director. Early in his career he distinguished himself through a handful of challenging electronic-experimental albums devoted to long "evanescent" driven synthscapes, contemporary ethno-ritual-theatrical performances. His most notorious effort is the mesmeric Bali-Agung recorded one year before. Signed on the legendary Innovative Communication, Trance-Formation follows the path defined by Bali-Agung but put the emphasise on religious motives, providing abundant human-liturgical-epiphanic choirs sustained by unusual hypno-pulsating arpeggios (1. Falling in trance), subtle synth moves and harsh psych guitars. Shape Of Things To Come provides eerie sound textures closed to the kosmische peacefulness of Schulze, The Cosmic Jokers but always with a heavy religious inflected accent. Sign of emotions is a more conventional-standardised space rockin track but according to me this it is the most powerful piece on this album, utterly meditative and fragile beauty. The self title track features atonal-weird experiments based on organ chords. Trance-Formation remains a multidirectional-versatile kosmische rock album, a bit fashionable but a nice listening experience.