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░ ██ ██ Artist: The Enid ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Bridge █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Symphonic Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Operation Seraphim / Enidworks ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ To be still at the forefront of progressive rock █
█ over forty years since their inception in 1974 The █
█ Enid are the definition of æenduringÆ as is their █
█ popularity with their fanbase of enthusiastic █
█ supporters. █
█ Their unique and individualistic style of █
█ progressive rock does not appeal to all but, when █
█ you are hooked by the beauty, efficacy and █
█ intricacy of it all, you will become a lifelong █
█ follower. █
█ The band use music as a saga teller, creating huge █
█ soundscapes and classical influences to lead you █
█ on an all encompassing musical journey that will █
█ captivate and enrapture your sensibilities. █
█ An excerpt from the band history on the website █
█ goes on to sayà. █
█ ôFormed among friends in 1974 The Enid invented a █
█ school of intelligent powerful romantic popular █
█ music which is unique to them. It is now clear █
█ that over more than thirty years they have █
█ developed an exceptional approach to music █
█ creation in the sense that there are no generic █
█ limitations whatever placed on bands ability to █
█ create their music. █
█ The Enid ôschool of artö for want of a better █
█ description, is free from constraints of template █
█ rock/pop where rhythm, harmony and melody are █
█ invariably dictated by the traditions, prejudices █
█ and limitations associated with style. █
█ Under the tutelage of Robert John Godfrey, The █
█ Enid set out to avoid the obvious traps; the █
█ learned/received riff based music which █
█ distinguishes so much rock û the well trodden █
█ harmonic progressions û familiar melodic lines and █
█ stock-in-trade rhythms. █
█ They were also the first band to be funded █
█ entirely by their fans which became the obvious █
█ way ahead after losing their recording contract █
█ with the now defunct PYE records. This was a █
█ revolutionary concept when first deployed in the █
█ early 1980Æs and led to the current situation with █
█ bands as diverse as Marillion, Radiohead and █
█ Hawkwind following this lead.ö █
█ There have been many changes to the band line-up █
█ over the years, the current being founder members █
█ Robert John Godfrey (pianist, composer and █
█ mastermind) and Dave Storey (drums) , vocalist █
█ and charismatic frontman Joe Payne, Jason Ducker █
█ (guitar and lots of other stuff), Max Read (bass, █
█ keyboards and loads of other stuff) and Dominic █
█ Tofield (drums and dab hand at design). █
█ There have been many albums down the years yet █
█ 2012Æs æInvictaÆ saw a relative resurgence for █
█ this niche, cult band. The Enid have followed this █
█ up with æThe BridgeÆ, the first in a trilogy of █
█ albums which will focus on the development of █
█ members Joe Payne, Jason Ducker and Max Read. █
█ On this release Robert and Joe wanted to further █
█ explore the classical elements of the bandÆs music █
█ in finer detail. The orchestral arrangements and █
█ vocals are accompanied by JasonÆs symphonic guitar █
█ textures and MaxÆs choral arrangements. The █
█ stunning artwork is the exceptional work of █
█ drummer Dominic Tofield and gives this release an █
█ indicative gravitas as soon as you see it. █
█ æThe BridgeÆ is a collection of mainly re-imagined █
█ versions of songs from the vast back catalogue of █
█ the band and a bit of a risky one at that as it █
█ feature next to no percussive elements at all, █
█ only relying on the amazing piano skills of Robert █
█ and JoeÆs impressive vocal skills to deliver the █
█ expected symphonic power. █
█ Earthborn takes a delicate route to introduce the █
█ album with the vocals gradually increasing in █
█ force backed by the empathetic piano and wind █
█ instruments to deliver a romantically inspired █
█ opening that could have come straight out of █
█ LondonÆs West End theatres. Gentle, humble and yet █
█ with a steely core, it captivates you with an █
█ uplifting grace. Atmospheric and almost operatic █
█ in its delivery æTil WeÆre Old is a brief but █
█ powerful piece where the voice and piano provide █
█ impressive counterpoints to each other with a █
█ slightly suspenseful and quizzical note. What it █
█ lacks in length it certainly makes up with █
█ substance. █
█ Dark Corner of the Sky opens with a hushed piano █
█ and then JoeÆs dulcet vocals join in what is a █
█ slightly sombre sounding beginning. Joe PayneÆs █
█ heartfelt delivery is as seductive as it is █
█ powerful, almost beseeching you as it impacts on █
█ your psyche. Max ReadÆs sympathetic choral █
█ arrangement delivers an ethereal feeling, a █
█ seductive spell that you never want to break. Now █
█ to a track that seems to split opinion, Bad Men █
█ has a nervous jocularity to it with its simple █
█ (yet effective) lyrics and ever present hint of █
█ mild insanity. One reviewer who was less than █
█ impressed said: ôit is a track that tries its █
█ hardest to be politically relevant to British █
█ politics, yet falls flat with lyrics.ö I have to █
█ disagree, to me it has a hint of the a █
█ melodramatic Gilbert and Sullivan comedy opera to █
█ it, slightly tongue in cheek. It flows █
█ majestically in places and, in others, hammers at █
█ you like a persistent and petulant child. Not my █
█ favourite track on the album but one that rises █
█ above the merely good with its sense of humour. █
█ The introduction to My Gravity lifts you up and █
█ takes you away to a place of pomp and circumstance █
█ and classical beauty. For all you know, you could █
█ be at the Royal Albert Hall listening to some █
█ classical masterpiece before it segues into an █
█ engrossing cinematic style that would befit a █
█ 1950Æs Hollywood blockbuster. There is a vivid █
█ melodrama at the heart of this affecting song. █
█ JoeÆs voice has a tender catch to it and the █
█ choral arrangements once again impress. As █
█ impressive as it is on record, this would be an █
█ almighty piece of music in a live setting as Joe █
█ reaches the heights with his fervent and earnest █
█ voice and the whole track has you committed from █
█ the first note, a superb and enduring song. Adding █
█ lyrics to previous instrumentals is the USP of █
█ this latest album and that can be seen to the best █
█ and most striking effect on Wings (a reworking of █
█ the track æLa RageÆ from 1988 release æThe Seed █
█ and the Sower) where JoeÆs deeply moving lyrics █
█ are undeniably the icing on the cake of a wondrous █
█ track. Deeply moving and emotional, it is the █
█ highlight of this arresting record. Starting from █
█ humble beginnings, the vocals dance around you and █
█ insinuate your every pore, like a sinuous vocal █
█ dance around your aural receptors. Ardent and █
█ profound, there is a sincerity deeply ingrained in █
█ this incredibly passionate and poignant song. The █
█ musical arrangements are precise and yet flow with █
█ a allure and artistry and help deliver a █
█ profoundly stirring and moving work of musical █
█ art. █
█ First Light takes the sophisticated choral █
█ arrangements to another level. The voices █
█ intertwining and harmonising to brilliant effect. █
█ A slow and deliberate tempo holds you in sway as █
█ the music washes over you to leave you in a █
█ musical state of grace. The whole album is █
█ composed of music that demands your attention and █
█ makes you stop what youÆre doing and concentrate █
█ on what is put before you and no more so than on █
█ this singular slice of wonderment. The segue into █
█ Autumn is seamless, your trance like state █
█ retained. This time the music is just as conducive █
█ to your utterly relaxed and calm state of mind, █
█ providing a perfect foil for the beguiling voice █
█ of Joe Payne. When the song opens up and releases █
█ its full potential you are knocked back by the █
█ power and the glory in its ultimate wisdom, the █
█ ending an uplifting culmination of all that has █
█ come before. █
█ When you listen to æThe BridgeÆ the merely good is █
█ transformed into the sublime and exalted.The Enid █
█ have delivered a set of songs that enable you to █
█ take time away from your hectic life and give you █
█ a melodic treat of great magnitude, the closest █
█ thing to a legal high, an oasis of calm in a world █
█ of chaos. Yes, it will not appeal to all with its █
█ delicate sensibilities but, for me, it is █
█ something that, once I have heard, I cannot ever █
█ do without. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Earthborn 4:19 ░
░ 2. 'Til We're Old 1:58 ░
░ 3. Dark Corner of the Sky 4:47 ░
░ 4. Bad Men 3:47 ░
░ 5. My Gravity 7:07 ░
░ 6. Wings 5:01 ░
░ 7. First Light 4:51 ░
░ 8. Autumn 4:33 ░
░ 9. Silence (Bonus Track) 1:55 ░
░ 38:18 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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