Artist: Enchant
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2002
Rating: 3.5/5
This time around, Enchant show up in the tightest, hardest-hitting light of their career. The push toward a heavier sound, driven mostly by guitarist Doug Ott, the man who writes all the songs, has caused the first serious friction in the band, and original member and drummer Paul Craddick left because the new sound just wasn’t for him. Enchant are far from a fixed, framed constant; they’re a never-finished story where anything goes. Sean Flanegan stepped into Paul’s seat, and don’t worry, the rhythm section does a decent job, though neither Flanegan nor anyone else will ever fill the big shoes of the excellent, versatile, wonderful Paul Craddick. The punchier Flanegan fits the band’s new – heavier & tighter direction on “Blink Of An Eye”. Doug himself handled most of the keyboards, with Phil Bennet, who has worked with the band since the very beginning, chipping in to help. The band is now a quartet. And still, the absence of a dedicated keyboardist is felt big time. This time the guitar rules and dominates the sound of the album.
The band’s lyrics often slip off into realms beyond strict reason and an individual’s emotions, and that’s nothing new. This time too they serve up some outstanding messages. There’s the boundless joy and goodness you radiate when you find your “true” self inside your physical body in Ultimate Gift, or the universal energy of pre-information that creates and destroys and whose flow no little human can turn back in Invisible. Under Fire is a warning about the senselessness of having armies, and Monday describes a society on the run, dumping all its everyday troubles on Monday, the way a drunk escapes into his own world under the weight of alcohol. In Seeds Of Hate the “true” self is crushed by instilled fear on the blind path of “being part of the crowd,” sowing the seeds of hatred in its eternal intolerance of an individual’s “different” (read: free) “true” self. Despicable provocatively tackles the question of the rights parents take upon themselves when raising children and treating them as property.
Enchant are easier on the ears this time. The middle sections of the songs, where the band lets loose and usually goes through its prog catharsis, are simpler and shorter. The songs therefore have a clearer beginning and end. Enchant have kept all of their recognizable identity in the process. The guitar riffs are even heavier, since Doug’s production pushes them even further to the front. The excellent production also took care of Ted’s vocals, which, even in the higher registers, have lost that touch of the “lonely siren in the clouds” they sometimes had, while keeping the contrast between the band’s sound and the specific color of Ted’s voice.
Those of you who want even more of a beating should go for the limited edition with the instrumental Prognosis, which is absolutely ruled by Doug’s guitar up front. Enchant are simpler, punchier and heavier this time. It’s the band’s most accessible album so far. Tailor-made for fans of adrenaline-fueled rushes, and less so for those of you who prefer more experimentation in prog rock.
Lineup
Ted Leonard – vocals
Douglas A. Ott – guitar, keyboards
Ed Platt – bass
Sean Flanegan – drums
Production
Douglas A. Ott
Track list
1. Under Fire (5:55)
2. Monday (7:08)
3. Seeds Of Hate (6:14)
4. Flatline (5:23)
5. Follow The Sun (6:05)
6. Ultimate Gift (7:57)
7. My Everafter (5:39)
8. Invisible (5:40)
9. Despicalbe (4:13)
10. Prognosis (7:30) (Bonustrack)
Album length: 61.44
