ENCHANT „Blink of an Eye”

At this point in their career, Enchant could be considered veterans with as many albums as they have released and with the maturity that is so vital a part of their sound. But as to what Enchant would be considered veterans of, that could be harder to define.

Enchant have been lumped with the 1990s progressive–rock movement since their inception, and undoubtedly, starting their career on the Magna Carta label and now having three releases on InsideOut Music has had much to do with that image. But for all the prog hype, Enchant’s music is far outside the prog–rock stereotype and elitist clique. Enchant are pioneers of melody and “Blink Of An Eye” sees the band stepping further and further into the AOR/hardrock arena, albeit with experimental tendencies.

Ted Leonard’s vocals on top of Doug Ott’s guitars and keys is just an exploding swirl of lush melodies. If “Monday,” a song reminiscent of bands like Hush, isn’t pure evidence of this, I don’t know how else to direct you. All I know is that there are very few AOR bands of this caliber still playing today and who have not fallen prey to the nu–breed of hardrock. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with the current state of commercial hardrock. Truth is that, now that melodic rock and metal has resurged and replaced 1990s grunge and punk/ska place on the commercial playground, the state of U.S. rock–radio is actually pretty damn pleasing. But Enchant are still offering a classic sound that fully exploits the definition of melody. “Under Fire” is another fine example of this. And on “Ultimate Gift,” Otto’s guitars and production make Leonard sound uncannily like Ted Poley during his Bone Machine project.

As for Enchant’s progressive tendencies, the length of the songs could fit the stereotype, but “lengthiness equals progressive” is superficial and meaningless. What makes Enchant different is the amount of instrumentalism that is used to construct one song. Each song is layer upon layer of sonic beauty. The guitars, drums, and keyboards are a prime example of this on “Flat Line.”

Songs like the ballady “Follow The Sun,” the mellow “My Everafter,” and the energetic “Despicable” all play a little on the artsy, progressive side; and “Invisible” offers a kind of reversed melody. But even still, this is music for the traditional hardrock masses.

Almost every song on “Blank Of An Eye” is spectacular. Only two or three tracks fall behind par, but even then, they would not be considered filler. If you are a prog–head that does not mind more straight–ahead melodies, then you will absolutely love this album. If you are a traditional AOR or hardrock fan, welcome to one of your albums of the year. And if you are a previous fan of Enchant, you already know that they just get better and stronger with each release.

note: 9/10