Pelata
Female-fronted Epic Power Metal…this description alone should be enough to inform you if you’re interested in going any further. Still with me? Ok, then. Edenbridge is what I call a “Genre Band” (I need to copyright that). If you’re into the specific genre to which they belong, then no arguable reason can be found for you to not like them. In this case, they fall into the well worn grooves that Nightwish carved out before them and do a very good job and presenting all the elements the genre is known for. The music has all the grandiose trappings and epic melodies one would expect. The vocals, provided by one Ms. Sabine Edelsbacher, are smooth & melodic. They attempt, with varying degrees of success, to invoke passion & drama into the songs. Yes sir, it’s all there…except for the fire.
Where’s the fire? The first 4 tracks, including the 65 second “intro” track (I wish bands would stop doing this), pass by barely noticeable. The tempos, riffs & performances are so mundane & standard that they leave no impression. The first signs of life are with the track “Adamantine”, and even then it drops off at around the 36 second mark. The thing I believe to be keeping the music from truly crossing the border into being energetic is the vocal performance. Sabine is no doubt a competent vocalist. Her delivery, on the other hand, is a bit subdued. It sounds as if she’s not getting “up under it”, as I like to put it. She’s singing it, but she’s not feeling it. Imagine, if you will, Anneke from The Gathering singing for Nightwish. Anneke is a fantastic vocalist, but over faster, more metallic riffs she’d sound out of place. So it is with Sabine. The first track where she sounds as though she fits is “Whale Rider”, a slow, piano driven ballad. Her excellent performance, however, can’t save the track from sounding like it came from an animated movie.
The remainder of the album is loaded with more of the same, so there’s really no need to continue track by track. My Earth Dream is not a bad record, by any means. But, strong musicianship aside, I can’t sincerely call it good either. It simply lay’s there, doing precious little to grab someone’s attention, hoping desperately that someone, anyone, will stop long enough to give it a chance.