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| Enchant - A Blueprint of The World |
 Released: 1995 Label: Magna Carta, Shrapnel Cat. No.: MA 9006 Total Time: 65.18 | |
Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, April 1997 Another release from Magna Carta that radio will ignore, if for no other reason but by association is Enchant's latest A Blueprint Of The World. And what association is that? Steve Rothery, guitarist with Marillion, produced five of the albums 10 tracks. So, has he created a Marillion clone? While it would be a lie to say there wasn't a Marillion influence, I don't think it's down to Rothery's producing. Listening to his own latest release (Carnival of Souls under the The Wishing Tree moniker) should prove that. This isn't Marillion lite and that's a good thing. And it seems to avoid any obvious similarities to Dream Theater as well. Which isn't to say they aren't there, but they aren't overt. A drum passage here, a bass line there. However, on the fourth track "Acquaintance," you'd swear that the soaring guitar at the end is Rothery, and yet, if so, he isn't given credit. Either way, it was the first Marillo-moment I heard (he does contribute a guitar solo to "Nighttime Sky"). The remaining five tracks were produced by Paul A. Schmidt and Douglas Ott, the latter also handling guitar duties. Paul Craddick (drums) returned the favour to Rothery by guesting on drums and keyboards on the above mentioned project. For all that, Blueprint is fairly nondescript. There are some memorable vocal hooks, phrases that have stayed with me since I first gave this disc a listen months ago (a year maybe?). An example would be the chorus (as such) of "Catharsis" or even the lead off track "The Thirst." Because the choruses are the most rememberable aspects to the album, does that put it more into the realm of POP rather than PROG? Ted Leonard's vocals are quite listenable, albeit a bit nasally (a bad vocalist can ruin even the best of bands). However, this seems to add a bit of character to their sound and may go a way to distancing them from the neo-prog metal realm. Even so, it's an average album and certainly not the best on the Magna Carta label (a re-release, by the way, from another label). More about A Blueprint of The World: Track Listing: The Thirst (6:16) / Catharsis (5:53) / Oasis (8:11) / Acquaintance (6:31) / Mae Dae (3:24) / At Death's Door (7:16) / East Of Eden (5:50) / Nighttime Sky (8:57) / Enchanted (7:17) / Open Eyes (7:43) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.theoasis.cc Discography
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