Review - Blackfield IV

New album with Aviv Geffen on the command once More, this time with some fellow singers invited (Jonathan Donahue, Steven Wilson, vinnie Cavanagh and Brett Anderson).
Album is mixed with guitars By Wilson.

And it shows. Same as the last album, this one is full of poppish songs  with great melodies, songs that stucks in teh head and are pretty much as good as anything out there.
It starts as typical Blackfield but get quickly lost on the way.
Highlights are X ray, Firefly and Faking (where Aviv nasal voice really shines for this one)

Nice album , nice songs but nothing really , truly great, easy pop songs nice to hear.

And that is all.. This review iw way too long for an album that clocks at 33 minutes max.... could have done a full album with the previous one.... Wait and see the next one.

Enchant - LIve at last and round up

Enchant published a great double cd/dvd of live performance with a set list close to perfection which is a perfect buy if you wanna try to discover the US band.

After that , the first album is so good nobody can really make a passe at it, even if it is a bit different from those who would follow.

So first Live at last; great best of and performance.

Then a blueprint of the world , masterpiece and chef d’œuvre.(all of them great songs...I'd skip enchanted and open eyes in a set list)

Then Goes blink of an eye with almost all great songs too (under fire , prognosis)

then tug of war with sinking sands, tug of war, queen of the informed, progtology and comatose

next album is juggling 9, with juggling knives, what to say and leading songs.

Then  abit of a tie in the rear is break (with break and My ennemy leading the poll) and wounded time lost (with below zero, pure, blindsided, interact and mettle man)

Give the rock band a chance, it is great stuff.... and eagerly awaiting the new album.

Review :Tug of War - Enchant

Last studio album so far by Enchant that gains a new keyboard player Bill Jenkins.
Following the footsteps of Blink, ToW is a strong record with the traditionnal Enchanted strength, Ed Platt thumping bass, Ted emotional voice and occasionnal deep implicated lyrics, Doug Ott great sense for melodies.
Even if the opener sinking sands is a great song, strangely I would have put the more rock on title track on first position.
After such a beginning, the middle of the album suffers a bit (despite of the great Queen of the informed with its instrumental bridge that gives me a chill down the spine) between small balade (beautiful) and strange song (Lost in a movie)but goes out with a bang with another full instrumental track very melodic before the final song that is very Marillion-esque (and that is a compliment) Comatose , written on piano with a great mood and slow power building riff  making easily one of my ever favorite Enchant track.

You can judge by yourselves

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Review Enchant - Blink of a eye.

5th album and man does this one is great.
Paul Craddick is out and Sean Flanagan is in, with a more nervous and powerful drum set.
Doug Ott finally gets to do all the music.
And the result is quite worth it.
A wonderful collection of songs from the haunting opening track about having killed someone through the hateful last one  and going by the love songs and so on. Every song has a great part in it  if not all great by itself.
Ted Leonard manage to sounds like Hogarth of old, almost whiny but not, powerfully evocative and weepily just what it needs to fill the lyrics with emotion whatever the subject is.
The production is top notch as always.
Can't really  add more except go and buy it but the limited edition with the bonus track with simply is the best track of them all, and is a intrumental. And is as good as it gets... demonstrating the prowess   can be conveyed by music only and with emotion...hell it even makes me misty in the eyes and not that many band can do that.

Definitly for me the best and most complete album so far even with different styles since the first one.
Great job guys !

Afterthoughts 3 : Operation Mindcrime - Queensrÿche

Good old days of yore when metal was just plain hard rock  with straight songs, catchy line and not over extended technical prowess.
Here is another concept album and a pretty powerful one. Deeply entrenched in the desillusional USA of the nineties, the band delivers tracks after tracks of great and catchy songs while Geoff Tate delivers lyrics full of venom and bitterness.
Revolving around a poor guy who gets recruited to fight the corrupt system, he is brainwashed to become a killer for "an underground organisation working overtime".
He is helped (and falls in love with ) a hooker turned sister and such.
Sounds ludicrous ?
The critical lyrics about the society is quite easy and almost- almost- naïve but the mix with the great songs makes the whole stew work (revolution calling  !)
It is definitly the 90ies in sounds and all but yet there was a  great part of it and this one is definitly on the good side.

Review ENCHANT - Juggling 9 or dropping 10

4th (and an half) album from  Enchant. Bass thumping maestro Ed Platt  is back but now it is Keyboard Begninus that leaves the band.

This album firmly entrenches the Enchant sound with many great songs.
The limited edition contains photos, sleeves notes, notes about the songs, and a brief history of the band. Great jumping point.

On the music notes, still the great HDCD sounds with composition benefitiing of the return of Ed and musics from Douglas Ott and Paul Craddick at most.
On the lyrics side, Ted let loose and starts unraveling pretty big texts about life and its many sides.
Going from having trouble with handling life, alzheimer, death and the fear that paralyze you, changing life, loosing innocence.

 Enchant stills continues to deliver good music that begin to get better and better but still does not hold to the first album but this one is a good one and maybe not great songs but lots of very nice ones that makes J9oD10 maybe not a great album but a cool one with a nice emphasis on the part of TED singing and the lyrics.
Here 's my favorite track,  JUGGLING KNIVES.

Afterthoughts 2 : Enchant - A blueprint of the world

Second great album to have is the debut album from US proggers Enchant.
Under an ugly CGI cover Lies a collective work supervised by Steve' marillion' Rothery.
A collection of neo prog songs very wonderfully fresh.
Almost of all them have spirit, rythm, atmosphere. Even if within the enchant discography, this album stands out because the enchant style is not yet fully formed.. and probably benefit from multiple sources of creations (Cline , Ott, Craddick, Begnignus). This is strangely a blueprint that will evolve in a more heavy prog rock discography afterwards and yet even if you do or don't love what will follow on the Enchant creation, this one is truly a very aerial  and great album you should own and listen to... Still my favorite enchant album.... with many fan favorites.