Pierre Moerlen's band released very few albums in the '80s.
Breakthrough, recorded in 1986, is a disappointing, bland project that bears little resemblance to any previous incarnation of
Gong. Aside from bassist
Hansford Rowe, who struggles to be heard on this recording, the group is comprised of entirely new personnel, including
Dag Westling, who is credited for acoustic guitar, although such an instrument fails to surface in the mix. A mostly instrumental affair,
Breakthrough breaks no new ground. Like his compositions,
Moerlen's performance is adequate but lacks innovation (for once). His best efforts are exhibited in the appropriately titled
"Far East," and the CD's most flavorful composition, on which
Moerlen and
Zieden (on electric guitar) create an Eastern sound, a glorified, romantic journey through the incensed back alleys and city streets of Thailand. Most of the music on
Breakthrough, though, seems unnatural and, at times, devoid of life; this is due in part to
Moerlen's frequent and cursory use of synthesizers.
Zieden's generic guitar solos, especially on the boring "Spaceship Disco," and
Moerlen's spewing of
L. Ron Hubbard's philosophies on the mundane "Road Out" lack much-needed inspiration. The pedestrian "Romantic Punk" sounds more like "New Age Disco," and
Moerlen's robotic vocal delivery on "Children's Dreams" mars this otherwise blood-flowing tune. The latter piece and the following "Portrait" are solid, rhythmic tunes revealing, albeit briefly, the capabilities of
Rowe and
Moerlen. Diehard fans of
Gong are relegated to savoring the title cut for its strains of
Time Is the Key; however, the lukewarm, uneventful
Breatkthrough ultimately leaves the listener with but one question: "Breakthrough to what?" ~ David Ross Smith
