Eureka – Shackleton’s Voyage 8.5/10
By N. Lynn
The fourth release by Frank Bossert under the Eureka name, Shackleton's Voyage takes us far south to Antarctica to tell the tale of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition during the first World War. Most of the tracks are instrumental, so it helps a great deal to know what happened on the journey, even if only the basics. Listeners aren't left alone, as actor Ian Dickinson provides narration in a few spots to help guide the story along.
After a brief introduction by Dickinson, the music kicks in. "Departure" sets the mood for the beginning of a journey unlike any other attempted at the time (or it can be argued, since), featuring bagpipes and flute courtesy of Troy Donockley [IONA, Nightwish]. The crew's enthusiasm continues with "The Challenge", the first of two songs with Billy Sherwood [Yes, Circa] on vocals as the Endurance makes it way south. "Grytviken Whaling Station" slows things down as the ship waits there for a month before continuing. Bossert's guitar is a highlight here, backed by mechanical sounds, droning synth and whale songs in the distance. The bass driven "Heading South" continues the journey through ice into the Weddell Sea, where the ship has difficulty navigating, passing a potential landing point in favor of something closer to Vahsal Bay. The Endurance encounters more pack ice as it makes its way through, before finally coming to a stop ("Icebound"), unable to break free.
Even though the expedition hadn't gone as planned, the crew remains optimistic, reflected in "Plenty Of Time" as they pass the time, unable to progress any further. The Celtic influences of the album are strongest here; a fitting backdrop for the upbeat attitude the crew tries to keep while trapped for nine months. As indicated by Dickinson in "Turning Point", the voyage reaches a critical point when the pressure from the ice becomes too much for the Endurance, crushing the ship in spots and allowing water to rush in. Left with no other choice, they make camp on the ice itself and wait to drift to a point where they could reach land with lifeboats, salvaging supplies from the Endurance before she completely sinks.
"Going Home" features Sherwood again as well as a Moog solo from Yogi Lang [RWPL], who also mixed and mastered the album, as the crew prepares to return home. Crossing the ice, hoping to find a spot to launch their lifeboats, things become more difficult as temperatures rise and supplies diminish. The ice suddenly splits, forcing Shackleton and the crew to abandon camp and make way for land. "Into The Lifeboats" is another guitar (and bass) heavy song, sounding more ominous as the journey becomes more perilous. While I hesitate to say that the song is worthy of throwing up the horns, it is probably the 'heaviest' and most intense song on the CD, quite fitting for what the expedition faced.
"Elephant Island" is a stark, calm and somber contrast to the song before it, a desolate place chosen to make landfall because it was the closest possible refuge of the remaining options. The album then shifts focus for "Will You Ever Return?", featuring Kalema (led by Martje Johannsen), voicing the thoughts of wives at home, left wondering about the fates of their husbands on the expedition. Piano, strings and a bit of guitar help move the song along, but Johannsen's voice is the best feature. Though the song may be from the wives' point of view, the song fits well where it is on the album, with 22 men remaining behind on Elephant Island as Shackleton and five other brave the waters in the James Caird (one of the lifeboats), hoping to reach land and mount a rescue.
It's not entirely clear what part of the story "In Search Of Relief" (which rivals "Into The Lifeboats" as far as heaviness and intensity goes) represents. The longest song on Shackleton's Voyage, it has three sections, indicating that it may cover the approach to South Georgia (including a wait in hurricane force winds), the 36 hour hike to Stromness as well as the following attempts to rescue the rest of the crew from Elephant Island. After a few attempts to reach Elephant Island, Shackleton was finally successful ("The Rescue") after securing help from Chile in the form of the Yelcho, a steam tug. Dickinson repeats Shackleton's words about the expedition in "We Had Seen God!" to close out the album.
For the sake of completion, I would like to also mention that the Endurance wasn't the only ship in the expedition. Aboard the Aurora, the Ross Sea Party sailed to where Shackleton and his crew were to complete their journey and took supplies inland for them, since they couldn't carry enough supplies for the entire journey. The ten men that made up the shore party (which was planned to be twelve) were stranded for eight months after a gale broke the Aurora from her moorings and set her adrift, trapped in ice. The Aurora eventually broke free of the ice and was able to reach New Zealand. It was repaired and the rescue was joined by Shackleton himself (who was denied command but allowed the join the operation) after his own crew had been recovered from Elephant Island. Unfortunately, not everyone from this group made it back home, although three dogs were among the survivors (unlike the Weddell Sea Party).
Without knowing much of the actual story at first, I was kind of lost the first couple times I listened to this album. After reading up on Ernest Shackleton and this expedition, it made it a lot easier to follow along and helped give me a greater appreciation for what Frank Bossert and company have done here. While some of the songs can stand on their own, Shackleton's Voyage is an album best taken in as a whole. It's easy to get lost in it and not realize how much time has gone by, which I consider a very good sign. A pleasant surprise that I'm glad I've gotten the chance to listen to, even if it's not the kind of album I usually listen to.
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Looking forward to this. I love music with a Celtic influence.