Edenbridge have scented blood since the departure of
Tarja from the most popular of the female fronted dramatic bands,
Nightwish. They are the first of their contemporaries to pop out an album after the end of
Nightwish as we know it. Hopefully they will find their way into the hearts of those that made the Finnish band so popular by striking first and with a vengeance.
"The Grand Design" is their fifth release and is the followup to "Shine" which was unfortunately just bobbing above average waters.
Sabine Edelsbacher still has this glorious, angelic voice that is as light as feathers and seems so fragile yet powerful, simulatenously. She is positively spellbinding and commands each song beautifully. It is impossible not to be enchanted by her passionate deliveries. Musically, we have tender moments but mostly overboard, gigantically epic productions that are lengthy and diverse, showing off instrumental skills and vocal prowess alike. Lanvall handles a variety of instruments that range from the usual such as guitars, keyboards and piano but also performs on the more exotic. Bouzouki (a Greek stringed instrument), mandolin and pipa (Chinese lute) show up to add texture and an unusual touch. Guesting are Dennis Ward and Robby
Valentine who both show up to help out with backing vocals and choirs.
Alot of the problems that plagued the previous disc have been mended for this
"Grand Design". Lanvall seems to have found the knack for matching Sabine's voice to the music more properly than before. Even though she seems uncomfortable and a little on the floaty side for a handful of the more powerful productions, the vocal tracks gel with a much more natural feel. She still doesn't mesh perfectly with the speedier pieces but then again her voice wasn't made to be set up in this type of display. Perhaps next time Lanvall will have all the kinks worked out and this will no longer be an issue. He certainly has made leaps and bounds of improvement over "Shine".
The highlight is the gorgeous ballad
"The Most Beautiful Place", a title that describes the track so well. It certainly is the most beautiful place on the album. Sabine transforms herself into this angelic creature, floating and soaring with a serene, tranquil essence. At only three minutes, the chance is never given for it to wear out its welcome.
"On Top of the World" tangles with the harder approach, and almost gets on the nerves until the chorus kicks in and sweeps you clean off your feet with its bend toward the melodic.
It would take a small novel to describe both
"Terra Nova", the heart stopping opener and the even longer and more bombastic
"The Grand Design". Complexity abounds with
"Terra Nova" that has
Edenbridge staging a production that could have come from a movie soundtrack. Epic and powerful, it dips and dives, overwhelming with melodies and the unleashing of a massive choir lead by Dutch singer Robby
Valentine that has his symphonic stamp written all over. There's also the divine guitar solo from Threshold's Karl Groom which simply should not be missed.
"The Grand Design" is way overdone and disturbingly long, wearing out its welcome after a few minutes. The shortened version on the single is better arranged and cuts out all the fat. The design cuts it into four distinct pieces, the glorious bombastic initial four minutes are breathtaking and loaded with drama. From there things go downhill as it falls off the cliff into tedium and strangeness as one direction is interrupted by another completely different musical twist. The turns are disjointed and seem out of place and just tacked together. A smoother transition would have made this more tolerable. There is so much to digest and take in that several listens are really required to absorb it all. It works in the end as a diverse progressive inspired piece with a marvelous symphonic finish.
The remainder of the album is give and take, sometimes working out well such as
"Flames of Passion" which is a fitting monicker enveloping the listener in a mesmerizing fireful display, and other times failing miserably as is the case with the nerve grinding
"See You Fading Afar".
"Evermore" packs a powerful punch and Sabine seems right at home, sailing over the top of the music with her glorious voice and helping bring to life the pompous atmosphere surrounding her.
"Taken Away" must be mentioned because it is a spellbinding ballad that whispers with an ethereal quality that seems like its being sung by angels with glowing voices. Wrapping you in its celestial airy softness, I found myself absolutely blown away by how heavenly and otherworldly it seems.
"Empire of the Sun" polishes the cd off with an instrumental that wanders around its warped world and has a dream like state that recalls Pink Floyd's trippiness. An unusual way to end the album, but yet it seems like a fitting closure after the whirlwind complexity of the grandiose title track.
This is a safe return for
Edenbridge, as it slightly bests 2004's "Shine" yet doesn't quite stack up to the first few albums that introduced them to the world. Fans of female vocals and
Nightwish in general would do themselves a big favor to pick it up and diversify their musical world. There's alot to enjoy, mainly the spotlight on Sabine's voice. Less disconnection from the music for the singer next time would really propel them into superstardom. Let's hope that Lanvall delivers for album number six, he's almost there and this disc really has so many great songs that even with one or two that falter in places, it is still an entrancing disc.
Written by
Alanna Thursday, July 13, 2006
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