Label: Insideout Music
Release date: July 23, 2002
Production: Douglas A. Ott
Album length: 61.44 min
Genre: Progressive Metal
Rating: 9.5/10
American prog-rock revivalists Enchant, who often walk the thin line between neo-prog and prog metal, passed another maturity exam with their sixth studio album “Blink of fan Eye”, steadily evolving their sound and polishing their songwriting chops. The ambitious band, led by excellent guitarist Douglas A. Ott and charismatic singer Ted Leonard (who later earned even bigger props as the vocalist of Spock’s Beard), had firmly established themselves with the previous album, “Juggling 9 Or Dropping 10” (2000), as one of the most ambitious and serious progressive rock acts at the start of the new century.
The big news before the recording of “Blink of and Eye” was the departure of drummer Paul Craddick and the arrival of his replacement, Sean Flanegan. Phil Bennet swapped in for Mike ‘Benignus’ Geimer on this album only, and soon after handed his spot over to Bill Jenkins. Neither change really shook up the Enchant sound of the time, which blended art rock, symphonic prog and prog metal very successfully with modern production and ‘mature’, mostly philosophical lyrics.
All the songs on “Blink of an Eye” were written by Leonard and Ott, the driving forces of the band. Leonard’s vocal kinship with legendary singer Steve Walsh (ex-Kansas) is the main reason Enchant’s music is so easy to fall in love with, and that was just as true when “Blink of an Eye” came out. To this day it’s rightfully one of their most cherished albums, and it played a big part in lifting the profile of this often overlooked band.
The opener “Under Fire” is marked by a dark atmosphere and a successful mix of symphonic prog and prog metal elements, with its peak being an epic chorus that dramatically drops the album’s title. Leonard’s always-excellent vocal performance is that ‘something extra’ that has always let Enchant stand out from the pack of similar bands. “Monday” is a brighter, more ambient piece that, just like the track before it, boasts a mighty chorus and great guitar-and-keys harmonies, so it’s easy to file it among the Enchant classics.
“Seeds of Hate” is a complex but still mostly melodic piece with a great instrumental section, courtesy of Ott’s regal guitar soloing backed by thick bass lines, while Leonard shines the whole way through with his incredible vocal charisma. “Flat Line” is another example of how Enchant, despite their rhythmic and arrangement complexity, effortlessly and quite subtly come up with a lovely chorus and cleverly push it to the front. “Follow the Sun” surprisingly opens as an acoustic-leaning ballad, but once the electric guitar crashes in alongside lively keyboard textures, it quickly drifts into more complex waters. The end result is one of the most intelligently and subtly structured compositions in Enchant’s story up to that point.
“Ultimate Gift”, where Ott shines with yet another passionate guitar solo and Leonard delivers his best possible (though surely unintentional) Steve Walsh imitation, is the kind of epic that Enchant have produced in enviable numbers over their career. On “My Everafter” you can mostly bask in the exquisite subtlety of the guitar-and-keys harmonies Enchant use to build ambient drama, while another superb vocal performance from one of the finest singers in modern prog rock deserves a special mention. “Invisible” is defined by its eclectic tempo shifts and inventive layering of synth textures, which makes it one of the highlights of “Blink of an Eye”. “Despicable” is an energetic, dramatic closer to the album in ‘proper style’, with yet another fantastic vocal turn from Leonard. On the special edition of “Blink of an Eye” you’ll find the excellent instrumental “Prognosis” at the end, which, thanks to its prog metal elements, soloing mastery, rhythmic finesse and all-around complexity, should appeal to plenty of fans of bands like Dream Theater.
“Blink of an Eye” still enjoys, rightfully so, the status of one of Enchant’s best achievements among their fans, and it helped place them among the most exciting prog rock revivalists at the start of the 21st century. Many of the signature elements of the Enchant sound were taken even further on this superb album. Even though Enchant often get forgotten when people list the key revivalists of the so-called third wave of prog rock, their role in reviving interest in the movement in the mid-nineties and around the turn of the century has always been undeniable, and “Blink of an Eye” played a major part in that.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
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. Despicable (4:13)
10. Prognosis (bonus track) (7:30)
Line-up:
Ted Leonard – vocals, guitar on track 9
Douglas A. Ott – guitar, keyboards, bass guitar on track 5
Ed Platt – bass guitar
Sean Flanegan – drums
Guest musician:
Phil Bennett – keyboards on tracks 3, 7 and 10
