Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Enid, The
Label: Operation Seraphim
Release: 2015
Duration: 38:24
Rating: 3.5/5
Robert John Godfrey, the British keyboardist, composer, arranger and philosopher, poured most of his creative output into the symphonic prog band The Enid, which he founded way back in 1973, after a short but stormy stint with Barclay James Harvest in the early seventies. With their orchestral take on symphonic prog, where classical music usually came first and rock a distant second, The Enid started getting noticed right in the middle of the punk invasion, which is one possible answer to why they never hit it big commercially, even though their early work from the second half of the seventies is the real deal, genre classics through and through. Despite their longevity and a steady stream of new records, and apart from a somewhat longer break/split between 1999 and 2007, The Enid have remained pretty overlooked to this day, even among symphonic prog fans.
Interest in their music picked up again after the release of the album »Invicta« (2012), which got a great response from audiences and the approval of most critics. That gave Godfrey, who was just about to retire because of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, a fresh burst of creative energy and convinced him to stay on in the band he’d put on its feet in 1973. The brilliant composer and keyboardist, who besides Alzheimer’s has long suffered from diabetes and chronic bouts of depression, had in fact planned to step down and hand his spot in the band to someone younger, in which case drummer Dave Storey would have been the only original The Enid member left.
The Enid entered 2015 more ambitious than ever, and it’s great to see that the pile-up of illnesses hasn’t sent Godfrey into early retirement. Instead, he wants to record as much new music as he can while he still has the strength, and the band has decided to make no fewer than two studio albums this year. The first of them is »The Bridge«, on which Godfrey and singer Joe Payne wanted to dig deeper into the classical elements of The Enid’s music. The orchestral arrangements and vocals on »The Bridge« are rounded out by symphonically refined guitar passages from Jason Ducker and choral arrangements directed by Max Read. Going all in on classical music means there’s no room for bass guitar and drums on »The Bridge«, which is reportedly the first of an announced, interconnected trilogy of studio albums.
Most fans of (progressive) rock won’t like that much, of course, while the move may win the band extra fans from other genres, led by orchestral and chamber music, provided they aren’t overly fossilized purists and traditionalist snobs. The orchestral arrangements on »The Bridge« are exceptionally beautiful, and the old-fashioned romanticism running through most of the compositions is a true balm for the soul of anyone who wants a break from the pressures of modern ‘civilization’ and a spiritual trip back to much simpler times. The only problem with »The Bridge« is the excessive repetitiveness of most of the orchestral motifs, which at times feel like a patched-together collage of ideas you’ve already heard on earlier The Enid albums. That’s actually no surprise, because apart from four compositions written completely from scratch, the album is dominated by assorted re-arranged pieces from past records, just wearing different names, and out of sheer laziness that deserves a special scolding. Early versions of »The Bridge« also include a hidden track, »Silence«, which is nothing special and easy to miss.
»The Bridge« will appeal mainly to fans of orchestral and operetta music, while it’s hard to imagine it warming the hearts of those who swear by guitar-driven rock and an effective rhythm section over symphonic sweep. The one exception might be some specific Queen devotee who’ll enjoy the rich vocal harmonies and Joe Payne’s operetta approach, which shares some vocal kinship with the legendary Freddie Mercury. For the guitar-and-rhythm crowd, »The Bridge«, with its exploration of classicist arrangements and chamber vocals, will most likely be pretty boring. Longtime The Enid fans, on the other hand, have quite a few reasons to be cheerful, even though the album is nowhere near the past peaks of the cult symphonic proggers, such as »Invicta«. It’s an extremely rich piece of work atmospherically, and part of the lyrics reflects Godfrey’s socially critical and ecologically aware philosophy. Thanks to the lazy recycling of past works and the excessive repetitiveness of its motifs, »The Bridge« certainly won’t make it into the very top of The Enid’s output, but it’s still nice to hear that after all these years Godfrey’s crew remains true to its original musical mission.
Lineup
Robert John Godfrey – keyboards and orchestration
Jason Ducker – guitar
Max Read – choir, programming
Joe Payne – vocals
Production
Max Read and Robert John Godfrey
Tracklist
1. Earthborn (4:19)
2. ‘Til We’re Old (1:59)
3. Dark Corner Of the Sky (4:47)
4. Bad Men (3:47)
5. My Gravity (7:08)
6. Wings (5:02)
7. First Light (4:51)
8. Autumn (4:33)
9. Silence – bonus track (1:56)
