lukretion The second half of the 1990s saw the explosion of the female-fronted symphonic metal genre. Following in the footsteps of bands like The Gathering, Within Temptation, Theatre of Tragedy and Nightwish, dozens of new bands formed and released albums that merged traditional forms of metal, like death/doom or power metal, with symphonic elements and female vocals, often sung in an operatic style. Founded in 1998 by guitarist/keyboard player Lanvall, Austrian band Edenbridge are among the first-movers in the strain of symphonic metal that tends towards the power metal end of the spectrum. However, Edenbridge retain a certain dose of originality that, together with their class and talent, will eventually make them stand out among the myriad of bands that overcrowded this particular subgenre of metal.

Released in 2000, Sunrise in Eden is Edenbridge’s debut record. The album already clearly shows the potential of the Austrian band, albeit this potential is far from being realized on the 9 tracks included here. Edenbridge’s main strength lies in their ambition to merge different styles of heavy metal and hard rock into their sound. Power metal, hard rock, AOR, neoclassical metal, symphonic rock/metal, prog and folk are all influences that surface throughout the album, making for an interesting, varied and fairly original release. The merging of these multiple influences is not completely seamless yet, and the different styles rather emerge in separate songs through the album. This may give the impression that the record lacks somewhat in focus, although I am not too bothered by it.

What bothers me more is that Edenbridge’s chief songwriter Lanvall does not seem to have yet found the right formula to translate his ideas into fully accomplished musical pieces. The main weakness here is the lack of strong melodies that can give the songs a definite identity and make them memorable and interesting. Instead, the album flows away without leaving a strong impression on the listener. Repeated listens do not help much, either. Only a few songs eventually stand out for me: the lengthy, multi-faceted title-track, the softer “Wings of the Wind” and “Midnight at Noon”, with its fun injection of neoclassical power metal.

The latter song, however, also highlights what I think is another problem with this record: there is a disconnect between Lanvall’s music and Sabine Edelsbacher’s vocals. Sabine is an exceptional singer, with a full, richly melodious voice and a great range. Her voice and her poised, trained singing style remind me of musical vocalists, or even vocal pop singers from the 1950s. However, this vocal approach does not work well, for instance, in the context of ballsy power metal pieces, which would instead require a more aggressive vocal style. It also does not help that her voice is pushed very much up to the front of the mix, pretty much as in a musical. The problem is that the musical background is too busy and prominent compared to what you would normally find in musicals – and this leaves the impression that the voice and the other instruments are fighting with one another for space and attention.

This brings me to the other main issue I have with Sunrise in Eden: the production. As a mitigating factor, the budget for the album was low, but even so the album sounds pretty terrible. The guitar sound is particularly bad, not so much on the soloing/leads, but when it comes to the rhythm guitar parts that are tainted by a raw sound that does not suit the music at all. The mixing is also far from optimal. I mentioned the issue with Sabine’s vocals, but the keyboards also sound strange, as they continuously move back and forth in the mix in a distracting way.

Overall, Sunrise in Eden is a bit of a mixed bag. The ideas are there and Edenbridge show considerable potential, especially thanks to the eclectic songwriting style and the band members’ undeniable talent. However, this potential is not yet being fully used and brought to fruition. A lot of the music on this debut album is fairly forgettable and there are only a handful of tracks that really make my ears perk up. Edenbridge will massively improve over the course of the next albums, but for now they are more an unfulfilled promise than an accomplished reality.

lukretion Only one year after releasing their debut album, Austrian symphonic metal band Edenbridge drop their sophomore record Arcana, again via Massacre Records. The line-up is unchanged, safe for the addition of a second guitar player, Andreas Eibler, who is credited for both lead and rhythm guitar on the album, same as Edenbridge’s mastermind and sole songwriter Lanvall. Singer Sabine Edelsbacher is the band’s other driving force, with her powerful yet richly melodious vocals which are among the best you can find in this genre of metal. The line-up is completed by Kurt Bednarsky (bass) and Roland Navratil (drums), who together form a competent if fairly inconspicuous rhythm duo.

Arcana follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessor and successfully rights many of the missteps of that album. The music you’ll find on Arcana strikes a remarkable balance between a flurry of different genres of metal and hard rock. Power metal, melodic hard rock, AOR, symphonic metal, neoclassical metal, hints of folk rock and prog rock – all these styles find a home in the album’s 10 songs, ensuring that Edenbridge’s brand of symphonic metal remains distinct from the two main undercurrents of the genre – its gothic, beauty-and-the-beast strand (Theatre of Tragedy; Tristania) and the power metal strain (Nightwish). Edenbridge sit considerably closer to the latter variety of symphonic metal than the former, but nevertheless retain a considerable degree of originality that places them in a camp of their own and closer to artists like prog rock singer Lana Lane than the aforementioned Nightwish.

There are essentially four types of songs on this record: long, multi-part “progressive” epics; fast, short power metal pieces; more melodic hard rock / AOR mid-tempos; and slow, semi-acoustic ballads. Edenbridge deliver in all these different areas, but Lanvall’s songwriting ambitions probably find their best expression in the longer, more proggy songs (“The Palace”, “Arcana”), where he is allowed to explore the nuances of his musical ideas and let them ebb and flow in the course of a song. “The Palace” is particularly stunning. Everything falls into place here: the vocal melodies are catchy and memorable, but at the same time do not sound dull or tiresome. The interplay between keyboard arrangements and guitar riffs is spot on and the dynamics are great. “Arcana” is slightly more tedious and the nearly 10 minutes of length do not help making it a fully digestible affair, but it remains nevertheless one of the high points of the record.

The shorter tracks are a bit more hit and miss, as they in fact were on the debut album. The hard rock piece “Into the Light” is by far the best among them, with its folk-infused intro and again a strong vocal melody in the chorus. “Color My Sky” veers more into power metal territory with its fast, aggressive riffs, and is also decent, despite the slightly awkward and messy arrangement in its verse where the stomping orchestral interjections are a tad too overpowering. The other songs are far less impactful, mostly due to slightly dull melodies. The sappy ballads are particularly disappointing, as they were on the debut album.

Despite the uneven quality of its tracklist, Arcana represents a definite step forward for Edenbridge, relative to their previous record. The production, while still a bit rough around the edges, is miles ahead compared to the messy affair of Sunrise in Eden (especially the guitar sound). Sabine’s vocal performance is also better. The quality of her voice is unquestionable. However, on Sunrise in Eden she sounded too restrained and “formal” in her delivery, while her voice is more expressive and charismatic on the new album. I also get the impression that Lanvall is slowly learning how to write for Sabine’s voice, which on Arcana feels better integrated with the musical texture of the songs. The balancing of the different styles is also more accomplished here, which is another testament to Lanvall’s improved composing abilities.

Nevertheless. I am still left with the impression that Edenbridge at this stage of their career were very much “work in progress” – with plenty of ideas and talent, but lacking the experience and skills to properly channel them into fully accomplished compositions. Again, the expression “rough around the edges” comes to mind. But the promise is all there – and a song as spellbinding as “The Palace” is a testament to this. If only Edenbridge could write a whole record of songs of that quality, they could easily outcompete the heavyweights of the genre.

adg211288 The Bonding (2013) is the eighth full-length album by Austrian symphonic metal act Edenbridge. This is the first album to feature new bassist Wolfgang Rothbauer, who also provides harsh vocals on the song Shadows of my Memory with male lead vocals on the over fifteen minute long title track are provided by guest Swedish singer Erik Mårtensson, who has provided backing/choir vocals on a number of metal albums including ones by artists like Golden Resurrection and Germán Pascual.

Although the early to mid work of Edenbridge is generally regarded to belong to the symphonic power metal genre on The Bonding the band have delivered a much more straight up work of symphonic metal. Elements of power metal are present in some songs including the excellent opener Mystic River but the greater focus throughout the album is on the symphonic elements, which are very well done. I like though that Edenbridge does not allow the guitar to go neglected though so you'll still hear some soloing aside from keeping the heaviness up. Solos are actually becoming more common in this genre these days than they were when I first started listening to symphonic metal some years ago so although it's less of a surprise to hear them in symphonic metal, it's still nice to hear some tastefully lead playing complementing the symphonic stuff. Lead singer Sabine Edelsbacher also has a great tone for Edenbridge's music. I guess I'd personally like to hear more power metal from them though. The fast riffs really stir up a track when they hit, as in The Invisible Force, another of The Bonding's best tracks.

The Bonding is overall a really solid symphonic metal album but it does also feel like the work of a band playing it safe within their genre. There are a few hints here and there in Edenbridge's music that hint at how other influences including folksy and progressive touches could be worked into the existing sound to great effect but every time I catch a hint of these or anything else it's almost as if they deliberating held back. That's not to say they haven't had an adventurous moment or two; The Bonding's title track is, as already stated, in excess of the fifteen minute mark, but for the most part the songs are business as usual for the genre. It's not a major problem, because these are all good songs and in a rare feat for metal bands they can pull off their balladry sections seamlessly, but there are definite hints that The Bonding could be even greater than it already is.

To summarise, The Bonding is a very worthwhile symphonic metal album with a stunning vocalist, particularly if you like the sort of mid-paced paced anthemic songs that the band mostly concern themselves with. I'm just hoping that next time around they don't play it so safe and actually explore some of those influences I'm hearing trapped in the background, begging to be released upon their listeners.

84/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/edenbridge-the-bonding-t3226.html)

Stephen Think of a more progressive approach of NIGHTWISH with some neoclassical elements and less speedy in rhythm, and you'll get EDENBRIDGE. 'Sunrise In Eden' marks their first step and in a glance, I didn't realize this is already 12 years old. Year 2000 isn't a bright year for non-mainstream metal, especially when alternative/nu-metal still reign the world, but EDENBRIDGE deserved an appreciation for this idealistic mission, giving something fresh for the community.

The concept is actually pretty interesting but what bugs me is the lack of strength in songwriting. When you heard NIGHTWISH or WITHIN TEMPTATION, you can always find two or three songs that strike you fast and hard in the first spin but you can't find that here. Best tracks here perhaps only the ballads 'Forever Shine On' and 'Take Me Back' with Sabine's angelic vocal, but then you started to doubt, why would a metal album's highlight are in ballads.

Because the fastest tracks here are relatively weaker. 'Cheyenne Spirit', is good but it's hard to say it's a memorable tune. 'Wings of The Wind' is complex but boring to be honest. 'Midnight At Noon' is a good and safe uptempo track. The title track started with a nice oriental intro, but the 8-minutes duration is painful as they walk with a very average tune.

Another low thing here is that 'Holy Fire' is totally a waste, chaotic track with no good melodies at all. 'My Last Step Beyond' that serves as the epic part of this album, running in 10-minutes, isn't bad, but not great enough to catapult this album to any point beyond 65%-70%.

In the end, it’s just a medicore debut, buy only if it's extremely cheap and recommended to symphonic metal enthusiast only.

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.