EDENBRIDGE — Arcana (review)

Album · 2001 · Power Metal

3/5 · 2022-08-19
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.