J-Man Enbound is a fairly new power metal band from Sweden, formed in 2006. Listening to their debut album, And She Says Gold, it's hard to believe that these guys aren't veterans of the genre! This album just oozes class, and sounds extremely professional and polished. People who are hesitant to melodic and (very) accessible power metal may not enjoy this one very much, but I know that I've had a great time experiencing it.

The music here is melodic power metal focused mainly on memorable vocal lines and pleasant landscapes. There are plenty of heavy guitars and dense rhythms, but there are always uplifting choruses and layers of symphonic keyboards. And She Says Gold may be lacking a bit in terms of instrumental entertainment (this is a fairly straightforward album from a compositional standpoint), though everything is played professionally. The vocals from Lee Hunter take center stage in Enbound's music, and with good reason - he's a breathtaking singer! He certainly possesses a great set of pipes that really leaves me speechless. The songs here seem to be divided into heavier metal tracks and ballads - I tend to prefer the heavier tracks, but I've also been surprised by the softer power-ballads. There really isn't a weak track here (except for maybe the cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It").

All in all, And She Says Gold is simply a high-quality album from Enbound. The melodies are memorable, the production is professional and powerful, and the musicianship is top-notch across the board. Though this may not be the perfect melodic power metal album, it's a damn good effort that should be in any power metal fan's collection. 3.5 stars are fair here.

The Block Squeals of War

Enbound’s newest release “And She Says Gold”, a 13 track full album with one bonus track, has appealed to two sides of me. One it the metal side of me, which has caused me to enjoy this album but with a few complaints about both the heaviness and content of the songs, and the other side is the side of me that likes catchy, easy to comprehend lyrics that are in a way, pop sounding. Everyone has feelings for albums that aren’t exactly good, but have catchy lyrics or an uplifting sound. That’s what this album is for me. Though it doesn’t have a whole lot of “guts” to it, it still is a very enjoyable album that makes me want to listen to it.

Though the album is mostly comprised as power metal, the tone of the album offers a much mellower and lighter sound than usual power metal. This is especially evident on the track “Descending” which starts off with a nice guitar and drum riff and soon transfers into a heavier melody that carries the song, even though I say it is heavier, it’s not exactly hard metal, and because of this I really enjoy this album. The differences between the light and heavy metal on this album really add to it and increase the overall feel of it. The guitar work by Jonathan Nyberg is very good especially in the solo sections on “Descending” and “I Am Lost to You”. One thing that makes this album stand out is the great sound produced when the drums and guitars are alone. Almost every song has an interlude composed of this and it really sounds great. The only thing is that it is on every song, which creates the same feeling on most of the songs. Enbound also seems to lean more towards traditional heavy metal and even glam metal in some of the lighter parts of the album, creating a nice feel. In parts they are not unlike Iron Maiden but with a pop sound and nowhere near as heavy riffs and melodies.

One thing that I do have to say about this album is that the bonus track drags it down. It won’t affect my rating that much though, since not everyone will hear it, but nonetheless it needs to be talked about. The bonus track is “Beat It”, originally by Michael Jackson, but with a metal spin on it. Not only is it a train wreck musically, I don’t even know what compelled them to put it on this album. “Beat It” by itself is an okay song, but when mixed with metal it makes something that I never really want to hear, so if you do get the bonus track with this album, I wouldn’t recommend listening to it.

That being said, most of the other songs on the album are very good and have pretty good vocals on them. Marcus Nygren’s voice is very good, and fits the genre, or genres, that Enbound plays perfectly. This is especially evident on tracks such as “Noiseless Bullet” and “Squeals of War”. The latter is probably my favorite song on the album, not only for its killer bas and guitar opening but for the vocals that go with it. As with most of the other songs on the album, Marcus Nygren’s voice is very soft and easy to listen to. But there are also other parts of this song in which it has a heavy feel, but it still sounds very good.

The production is very good and I have no complaints with it. It mixes the lows and highs well and provides a great platform for this band.

Overall, this is a very good release by Enbound. With great songs such as “Squeals of War” and “Descending” they have put forth an album that will please any listener who likes traditional and power metal. For a good release Enbound gets 3.5 stars.