lukretion After the release of their 7th full-length album Tug of War in 2003 and a celebratory live album in 2004, Enchant took a long hiatus that lasted more than a decade. I was convinced this would be the end for the band, especially after their singer Ted Leonard joined Spock’s Beard in 2011. Yet, three years later in 2014 Enchant made a comeback with one more full-length album, The Great Divide, written and recorded by the same line-up of Tug of War. The band disappeared from the scenes once more after this record and remains inactive to date.

I do not know whether the band intended The Great Divide to be a return to their glory days of the late 1990s, when they released their best albums (1998’s Break and 2000’s Juggling 9 or Dropping 10), but if so, it’s hard to see the new LP as a resounding success. In fact, it is even difficult to find traces of Enchant’s early sound in the new album. The new material is quite light-weighted and lacks many of the progressive rock and metal stylings that had once characterized Enchant’s music. The album veers instead more decidedly towards AOR and light mainstream rock territory. These influences had always been present in Enchant’s albums, but in earlier records they had been complemented with a generous coating of progressive complexity and metallic heaviness. This is hardly the case here. One remaining trace of “progginess” on The Great Divide is the songs’ length, which frequently extends beyond the 7-minute mark. However, despite the duration, there is not a lot going on in the music in terms of intricate developments or structures. The songs are instead rooted in standard verse-chorus form with extended instrumental passages that showcase the band’s playing ability (and the solos are indeed quite good!).

The arrangements are generally simple. The guitar is often limited to providing a light, chord-based rhythmic foundation as well as soft melodic leads. The keyboards occupy a much larger portion of the soundscape compared to previous albums and often take a key role in providing melodic counterpoints to Ted Leonard’s vocal lines. These are generally weak, not because Ted is a bad singer (quite the contrary, his voice has always been a major strength for Enchant), but because they feel generic and are rarely memorable. Simply put, the songs are devoid of hooks that could elevate the already pared-down material above averageness.

Ultimately, this is how I would describe this album: neither very bad, nor very good, just simply average. Truth be told, this is also how I felt about Enchant’s previous two records, Blink of an Eye and Tug of War. Those albums, however, had slightly more redeeming qualities than The Great Divide, thanks to more interesting arrangements and a handful of songs that stood out as particularly memorable. This is not the case here, if we exclude opening song “Circles”, which is probably the most accomplished and impactful composition of the album. On that song, Ted Leonard sings “I need a new direction … I need a course correction”, which is actually an apt description of what I wished The Great Divide would do at some point during its course, though it never did.

lukretion If you have been following Enchant’s career, it is hard to miss the obvious Easter eggs the band have placed on the cover of their 7th full-length album, Tug of War. Images taken from all their previous albums appear in the picture, from the LP A Blueprint of the World LP placed at the feet of the mirror, to the iconic billiard-ball from Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 lying on the floor, to posters of Wounded and Blink of an Eye on the wall. When I first saw it, I wondered whether, by providing such retrospective, the band were trying to subtly tell fans time had arrived for curtain call. I was almost proved right given that after this album Enchant went into hibernation for 11 long years, before making a sporadic comeback in 2014 with the mediocre The Great Divide to then disband once again. So were Enchant planning to send us off on a high note or a low note?

Unfortunately, Tug of War continues the downward trajectory of Enchant’s previous album Blink of an Eye and it is a further step down compared to their best works, 1998’s Break and 2000’s Juggling 9 or Dropping 10. The new material is actually not terribly different from the songs included on those albums, but feels less inspired and less compelling. The album’s core sonic identity is once again a simplified form of progressive rock, where AOR and mainstream pop/rock aesthetics are weaved together with the influences of classic and modern prog greats (Rush, Kansas, Marillion, Spock’s Beard) and reinterpreted with a hint of metallic bite (Dream Theater). Doug Ott’s guitar plays predominantly a soft rhythmic role, with light chords and arpeggios, letting Ed Platt steer the material into more metallic directions with his meaty bass licks. Meanwhile, new keyboard player Bill Jenkins adds minimal texture with sound effects and keyboard chords and drummer Sean Flanegan focuses more on groove than rhythmic extravaganza.

The end result is a layered but unobtrusive texture that leaves a lot of space to singer Ted Leonard’s vocal melodies. Alas, these are not very compelling because they often tend to be slightly too convoluted and rarely have immediate appeal. Partly, this may be due to the songs’ complex harmonic developments, which leave Ted struggling to find good melodies to bridge the unorthodox chord progressions. This has been an unfortunate constant throughout the band’s career, with the exception of Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 which stands as their most accessible and accomplished record to date.

Overall, Tug of War is not a bad record, but it isn’t strong either. It is well played and well arranged, but its greatest drawback is that it dabbles in mostly harmless and generic progressive rock. The listening experience is far from compelling. Very few tracks standout, and they are mostly concentrated at the start (“Sinking Sand”, “Holding the Wind”) or end of the record (the proggy instrumental “Progtology”, “Comatose”), which makes the middle part of the album quite challenging to go through. Longtime fans may still find enough good material to enjoy Tug of War, but if you are new to Enchant, you’d be better served by digging into their earlier – and superior – releases.

lukretion As far as I am concerned, Enchant’s 5th full-length album is the pinnacle of their discography. The upward trajectory had already started with the previous album Break, where the US band had managed to find a more personal sound, blending together elements from classic progressive rock, prog metal and AOR / maninstream rock in a way that set them apart from other similar prog bands: Enchant felt less cerebral than Spock’s Beard, less heavy than Dream Theater, but proggier than Kansas. On Juggling 9 or Dropping 10, the band further develop those aesthetics, enhancing the weight of each component while at the same time perfecting the balance between them.

The album is proggier than Break, not so much in terms of the amount of technical extravaganza included in each song, but in the adventurousness of the songwriting. While the songs never get overly complex, their structure is dilated with numerous instrumental breaks and detours. These can get quite wild and exciting, such as the flamenco interjection in the middle of “Bite My Tongue”. Elsewhere Doug Ott’s jittery guitar riffs duel with melodic bass lines and keyboard leads, while Paul Craddick’s drum patterns strike a perfect balance between groove and nuance. At times, dissonances and unusual harmonic developments are used, sparsely and with great effect. Some of the arrangements reminded me of Spock’s Beard – with which Enchant had toured in the previous year -, but Enchant maintain a more accessible and streamlined approach than Spock’s.

The accessibility and memorability of the compositions is where Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 makes big strides forward compared to Break. The quality of the melodies has improved a lot since the previous album. We are still not exactly in the domain of ear-worming hooks, as Ted Leonard’s vocal lines generally follow more nuanced and elusive contours than what would quality as straight poppy ear-candy. But some of the hooks here are rather infectious, particularly in “Bite My Tongue”, “Juggling Knives” and “What to Say”, which is easily the best song Enchant have written throughout their career. What makes the song truly special is also the deep and highly emotional subject matter – about incurable illness and the awareness that the day you have to say goodbye to your loved ones is drawing nearer. Ted Leonard’s interpretation is simply spellbinding and goosebumps are guaranteed by the time you reach the end of the track.

While “What to Say” is undoubtedly the high point of the record, both emotionally and sonically, several other songs leave a strong mark on the listener, making Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 the most consistent album of the band. There are no fillers or duds here, except perhaps “Elyse” which feels slightly bland in comparison to the other tracks. One may raise issues with the fact that many of the songs tend to feature similar tempos, structures and moods (with many exploring the same theme of illness). This is a characteristic that Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 share with many other Enchant’s albums and it is probably one of the limits of the US band. A tad more variation in the songwriting could have probably elevated this and other albums even further.

Despite these minor issues, Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 is where everything fell perfectly into place for Enchant. Inspired songwriting, classy arrangements, top-notch musicianship and some of the best melodies written by the band make this album a must-have for any progressive rock or metal fan. The rest of the band’s discography is also worth exploring, but Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 is the place to start if you are new to this band.

lukretion Enchant’s 6th full-length, Blink of an Eye, attempts to follow the same template of their previous LP, Juggling 9 or Dropping 10, released two years earlier and still regarded by many as the high point of their discography. However, one big change occurred between the two records: long-time band member Paul Craddick left Enchant and was replaced by Sean Flanegan. With Paul’s departure, Enchant did not only lose a phenomenal drummer, but also a gifted songwriter who had penned many songs in their previous albums. On Blink of an Eye guitarist Doug Ott took charge of all the songwriting and, although he himself has written some fantastic songs for Enchant, the lack of a songwriting partner is a clear drawback that bogs the album down somewhat.

The main problem with Doug’s material for this album is that is too homogeneous and, for the most part, formulaic. The new record features the classy arrangements and top-notch musicianship that one can find in all Enchant’s albums. However, the songwriting is slightly safer and less adventurous, with fewer contaminations with other styles. The key influence on Blink of an Eye seems to be Marillion circa 1990s, with a lot of focus on layered arrangements and mellow e-bow leads that create a dense but unobtrusive background allowing maximum space to Ted Leonard’s voice. New drummer Sean Flanegan is perfect for this type of material, as he is a straighter drummer than Paul Craddick, more visceral and groovy, but also less imaginative and nuanced. Occasionally, Enchant unleash their proggy side and let loose in fun instrumental breaks that bring to mind Spock’s Beard, but overall Blink of an Eye is considerably less prog-oriented than Break or Juggling 9 or Dropping 10, favouring texture and atmosphere over complexity and displays of technical proficiency.

The general toning down of progginess wouldn’t be a problem per se, if Blink of an Eye could supply strong and memorable vocal melodies on top of its mellow soundscapes. Alas, the band’s Achilles heel has always been their inability to write really catchy melodies, and Blink of an Eye is no exception. Most melodies are slightly convoluted and dull. No matter how many times I listen to the album, the songs are elusive and hard to memorize. Inevitably, a lot of the material flows away inconspicuously, blurring together. Only a handful of songs stand out. “Under Fire” may be the strongest of the lot in terms of accessibility and quality of the melodies. “Monday” is proggy and fun, dialling up the Spock’s Beard influences. “Follow the Sun” veers into mainstream rock territory and features gorgeous vocal harmonies, while “Despicable” provides an energetic and engaging closure to the album.

Overall, Blink of an Eye is a step down compared to the beautiful Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 and it is probably slightly inferior to Break as well. Despite the continuity in terms of sound and style relative to those two albums, the material included here feels somewhat generic and uninspired. The dearth of truly compelling tunes makes the 54 minutes of the album somewhat a chore to sit through, but the quality of the playing and the class of the arrangements are undeniable and ultimately save the record from a lower score.

lukretion It took US prog rockers Enchant a couple of albums to find a unique sound and direction. Their 4th full-length Break is where things finally started falling into place, after three slightly more derivative albums, inspired initially by neoprogressive rock (Marillion) and later by prog metal in the vein of Dream Theater. On Break, Enchant seem to have metabolized both of those influences to arrive at a more personal sound, halfway between progressive rock, prog metal and AOR / mainstream rock.

The album brims with the type of highly-proficient playing and glossy, sophisticated arrangements that you would expect to find on a prog rock record. All songs feature intricate but elegant interplays between guitars, keyboards and bass – the latter frequently also playing a prominent melodic role, which may draw parallels to Rush. The musicians’ technical level is very high, but they never get carried away with excessive, showy noodling, but they instead always play to the song. The harmonic structures are complex, often veering towards jazz territory. Paul Craddick’s drumming is classy and imaginative and at times reminiscent of Rush’s drummer Neil Peart. The production is polished and airy, which allows to appreciate the nuances of the musicians’ playing (though it may lack a bit of bite when things get sonically heated).

While the arrangements are complex and layered, structurally the songs are much more straightforward, generally following a standard verse-chorus format, with occasional digressions in the form of bridges or instrumental breaks. The linear structures are a nudge towards radio-friendly rock, which one can also find in the highly melodic vocal lines. Singer Ted Leonard interprets the vocal melodies soulfully with his pristine, powerful voice, at times reminiscent of Steve Walsh (Kansas). This balance between complex progginess and radio-friendly accessibility is a distinctive characteristics of Enchant’s sound throughout their career, and it is the reason why sometimes they are described as a “soft progressive rock” band.

The melodies are however one of my main gripes with Break. They generally possess an elusive quality that rarely makes them overtly catchy – certainly nothing even remotely close to what one would call an “earworm”. Generally, this may not be a bad thing, since staying clear of cheap ear-candy often improves the repeated listening value of an album. However, things start to get complicated if even after listening to the album several times, one cannot still remember a single vocal line from the record. I am perhaps exaggerating here, since songs like “King”, “My Enemy”, “The Lizard” and “My Gavel Hand” do leave a mark on the listener. The other songs, however, are much less accessible and memorable, and flow away almost unnoticed. This effect is accentuated by the fact that many songs are quite similar to one another in terms of structure, tempo and mood, so they tend to blend together somewhat, especially between “Defenseless” and “Silence”.

All in all and despite the generally high quality of the material, many of the tracks included in this album fall short of making a big impact on the listener. I do not think it is by accident that only two songs from Break (the title-track and “My Enemy”) will eventually be included in the double-disc live album Enchant will release a few years later. Having said that, Break remains a quality record, full of classy playing, intelligent arrangements and a handful of excellent song too (“My Enemy” is truly splendid).