One of Germany's apparently best kept secrets comes back to earth for a moment in time, and with them, the sights and sounds from their twenty plus year interstellar quest, recorded and captured on two essential collections dedicated to their universe of devoted followers…

Eloy's music began way back when the likes of Genesis, Yes and King Crimson… maybe even Hawkwind were all involved in their own startling discovery of how modern music could be developed through space-age technology and an unyielding vision of the future…

Basically consisting of two prime members since their mid-80's break up and ultimate restructuring, "Chronicles I & II" feature selections that span their developmental stages through to their peak years while aiming boldly for tomorrow with a dedication to their craft… a craft that neither stops nor stagnates but is a constant reinvention of itself…

They never had the time to stop and rest for there was always something new to discover, out there, in the farthest reaches of an audio galaxy that only the most adventurous ever dared visit. The music found here is timeless and as vast as space itself, conjuring images of hope with excitedly delivered passages built around synthesized sounds and radiant guitar harmonies, yet never overextending itself into that pit of desperation where fear of the end breeds overanalysis and breakdowns in practicality.

Simply, Eloy is fun and exciting… and interesting to listen to. It's an advancement of man and machine and an advanced listen in most cases, however most often weaving simplicity with complexity to capture the suddenness of a moment and the stability of time everlasting.

Altogether, Eloy's two-disc set contains twenty songs-ten on each disc-with the first featuring the earliest work, re-recorded back in '93, by the original band, regrouped specifically for this occasion while the later material can be found on the next where remastering technology allows further exhibit of what already was widely perceived as a state of the art progression that transcends the standards of rock music into the outer limits… a mind-bending odyssey that is a sonically reproduced virtual reality… a wrinkle in time-the past, the future, one in the same, yet never more than a glimpse into the unknown…

Multiple shades of Deep Purple blend soothingly with the passion and fiery cinematics of the T-Dream team to commensurate on flighty, futuristic compositions about a life without constraint where tomorrow's only a wink and a whisper away…

"Chronicles I & II," the original and sequel, relevant to the formation of much of what we know as arena rock or new age and progressive music, sound as vibrant and fresh today as they did six years ago… and many moons before that.

Highly recommended… and for those of sound mind and a taste for elegance, the ultimate out of body experience is now well within reach…

Released by SPV Records

Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu]