Edenbridge has returned yet again with their fourth studio created disc in just as many years, their sixth disc overall if you count the live album that was released earlier in the year. For those that are just now being introduced to the band, whether you will like them or not depends completely on your tolerance for female vocals. If you can handle them no matter what, then go ahead and "Shine" on, but if taking a fragile voiced angel and having her unfurl her delicate, misty voice amidst the hellish fires of speedy power metal, burying the mood and intensity buildup in the process, bothers you then look elsewhere. Unless of course you are willing to avoid the handful of tracks that fall in this minority and open up to enjoy the majority of the disc, which is rich precisely created metal that borders on the brash daylight of power metal, the twisting turns of the twilight of progressive, and the darkened hideaways of the gothic night.
It's a shame that so much focus has to be put on the vocals here, but they are the dominating factor in this CD. You just can't get around them. If you try enjoying the music, she's always there, singing in this high-pitched range with all the power of a feather. A strong wind, and she'd be blown away. Sabine Edelsbacher has one of those voices better suited to Broadway stage productions (and oddly enough a song or two kind of mimics that very type of dramatics a'la Savatage), serviceable but a bit sterile and definitely not ready for the songs taking advantage of the prime time metal setting that hits more on the speedy side. And that's the problem, there's not enough oomph in her voice to carry music such as the title track.
Tarja from
Nightwish is very operatic but with a wider range, a lot more power and wielding a cutting edge of emotion, and much can be said for solo artist Lana Lane, and so forth, but Sabine is a victim of her own limits and much can also be blamed on the music itself. The faster, more power metal styled tracks just do not fit her. The debut album, "Sunrise in Eden" suited her, but alas there are few saving graces here, although a handful of songs come across rather nicely, when the music is molded to accommodate the voice.
Although I must add, that when the music is written to flow in harmony with her vocals, then everything in the
Edenbridge world feels right, and allows for much enjoyment. And it is a return to form of sorts, since "Aphelion" was a tragic disappointment, but this loops back to second disc, 2001's "Arcana" in its more complex, progressive presentation and (a word about to be quite abused in this review) 'epic' "gates of heaven" type atmosphere.
The music is just fine, the compositions by the artist known as Lanvall are mostly tight and varied, notably the quirky favorite,
"Wild Chase" which has this rich folksy Scottish type vibe that is reminiscent of Ten's "Spellbound" smash hit, "Red". The music's infectious rhythm ripped right out of some Scottish songbook minus the bagpipes, grabs you and doesn't let go, and the female vocals here are non intrusive, although it would be nice if Sabine would vary her range just a little instead of going for the same vocal sound that becomes flat and sterile as the album marches on. Taking it to a different direction,
"Move Along Home" has a slight Eastern flair in sections and lots of chugging guitars and an overblown feel that makes it seem like the centerpiece for some epic movie, complete with violins whirring away along with the electric six-string beast, which is sweet, sweet indeed. There are so many intricacies here that it is easy to get lost in the layers of sound and just revel in what it is.
"Centennial Legend" has been remarked as sounding like that of a Disney song made for the closing credits in one of their animated musicals. It invokes that image of the overblown ballad, and wraps around the vocals lovingly, helping to milk every single teardrop that could be lurking in its crystalline background.
"What You Leave Behind" fares nicely as well, lumbering along with a careful precision instead of taking off like a rocket shot, it takes its time and allows Sabine to shine, while keeping the metal roots intact.
"The Canterville Ghost" holds many surprises, time changes, and quirks galore. The lacier sections are there to enforce the vocals, but there's plenty of guitars sailing along to keep it fresh and exciting. The length is the main drawback, since it's almost torture to have to endure it for so long.
Edenbridge is definitely at their best when presenting themselves around the five-minute mark. That's plenty of time to pack-in all the epic dramatic overdose a person can take without losing their sanity in the process.
"Shine" is the opening number, title track, first single, and by far the worst example of
Edenbridge's shortcomings, the Achilles heel of the album so to speak. The first time it was popped in was during a group setting and it was quickly declared to be "crap" and turned off by its intended audience. Not exactly a good sign, and has become the poster child for my bitching about the hapless mismatching between Edelbacher and the music she's expected to hang in with. This is pure thunder cracking power metal to the core, as monotonously and incessantly driving as they come, the drums banging away with wild abandon, the guitars screeching in unison, the feel is frantic and building into something of mammoth proportions as the minutes tick away at the clock. But that voice just allows it to fall apart into ear irritation. The fragility is exposed, and while attempting to produce that sizzling feel of musical jubilation and rouse the inner workings of feelings most triumphant, she just fizzles and creates none of these emotions, instead opting to grate on the nerves by not changing tones and staying in that annoying range while the music doggedly charges onward, not giving notice where the focal point is faltering so badly. It is a shame that many will be confronted with this first and may never return to the disc afterwards after being so severely bitten, as well as the horror of it being touted as the single, suggesting that is the best "Shine" has to offer, which is far from the truth at hand.
"October Sky" despite its nifty name, sounds like
Stratovarius mixed with
Helloween stirred in with some
Nightwish and a hefty heaping of crunchy guitars. The vocals bring it down however, for its speediness and heavy heart do not mix with the delicate flower attempting to belt this one to life. Sounding like every other power piece out there, but with some memorable bubbly guitars and that.epic extravaganza feeling,
"And the Road Goes On" suffers the same problems as
"Shine" and
"October".
And depending on what region disc you picked up, you are treated to a bonus track. The Japanese get
"Anthem" and the Europeans get
"On Sacred Ground". Which is the better bonus remains to be seen since I have not heard
"Anthem" so therefore no head-to-head comparisons will be given. Just feel a little luck that you get thrown the bone of something extra, since if this sees U.S. release they will likely nip both of these out and the Americans will be left with less and likely have to pay more for the privilege.
It boils down to this:
Edenbridge would be better off as a band if they just chucked the whole power metal fiasco attempts down the refuse pile and stuck to what they do best, expanded tracks that just seem to teem to the point of inner explosion with their pompous epic feel and buttery Broadway show worthy overblown ballads. The quick n' heavy experiments result in listener pain and aggravation and just brings the album down since the tracks taking that route are not all that original anyway. There are enough bands out there attempting to resurrect the power and the glory of fast pounding
Helloween-ish metal, and there's no sense in bastardizing a good thing here just to rope in a few power fiends who can't get enough of the stuff. Personally, I love power metal but just feel this band is not suited to it and their talents are better used elsewhere.
"Shine" is an easy recommendation for those that are in the midst of amassing a female fronted metal collection and those that can overlook the clunkers to sift through the gems. There is definitely some top-notch music to be found here, it's just a shame that the quality is not more consistent. Unfortunately this is also a disc that's better taken in bits and pieces than in one tremendous single sitting gulp. The rarely changing vocals end up soiling the dreamy experience after a couple of consecutive songs that would otherwise be a decadent delight if nibbled at in singles or duos. It is a nice disc to pop in for a few tunes to freshen the airwaves before moving on to the next feature length disc to break things up a bit, and is best served with that in mind.
While still preferring the fresh innocence of the debut, it is without a shadow of a doubt that
Edenbridge has continued to progress and sharpen their skills with each release, and thus this one stands head and shoulders above their previous two, the senses pleasing
"Arcana" and the disappointment that was
"Aphelion".
Written by
Alanna Monday, November 15, 2004
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