Blink of an Eye [Import]

Enchant | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: InsideOut Music
• ASIN: B000069KHG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,455 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Under Fire

2. Monday

3. Seeds of Hate

4. Flatline

5. Follow the Sun

6. Ultimate Gift

7. My Everafter

8. Invisible

9. Despicable

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man, I love this band., December 16, 2003

By 

The Wickerman (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blink of an Eye (Audio CD)

I am just completely enthralled with Enchant's music at the moment. Every album they've put out is just amazing (well, I'm not that big into "Break" yet, but other than that one...), and each album has its own unique feel. "Blink of an Eye", their fifth release (not counting "Time Lost"), is one of their strongest albums to date (and I think that's saying a lot, considering how great most of their material is). It's a bit catchier and more light-hearted than anything they had previously done, and as such might be a bit more of an "easy listen" to a new fan. At any rate, it is top notch music.

The album was released under the unfortunate circumstance of the departure of two of the band's long-time members, keyboardist Michael Geimer and drummer Paul Craddick. While this departure may worry some fans (and understandably so), there is no cause for alarm. Filling in on the keys is Phil Bennett, who was never really a fulltime member, but he filled in the space quite well. He doesn't really do anything that Geimer didn't do, but he still does an excellent job. Craddick's departure was certainly a much more significant blow, as he is not only a spectacular drummer, but he was also one of the band's main lyricists. Basically, he is pretty much irreplaceable. However, the band made a good choice in Sean Flanagan (formerly of The Truth About Seafood, which is also Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph's former band). He has a completely different style from Craddick, but he is still an excellent drummer, and he fits in really well with the band's sound (maybe even better than Craddick, although I still like his style more).

So anyway, the lineup is secure, and the guys cranked out another spectacular release. As I said before, this album is much more light-hearted than their previous releases, and I suspect the lineup change had something to do with that. They were all adjusting to each other, so they didn't want to jump into anything too in-depth. The album seems a bit more straight-forward, but that's not a bad thing at all.

Every song here is solidly written, and full of catchy riffs, great choruses, and beautiful melodies. The album starts off with the hard-rocking "Under Fire", with crashing riffs accompanying the attention-getting lyrics (about a soldier who is racked with guilt, after shooting someone in a war). From there, things slow down a bit with the softer "Monday", and continue in more of the mid-paced, melodic fashion throughout most of the album. For me, every song is a highlight, but a few that stand out are the super-catchy "Flat Line", the epic ballad "Ultimate Gift" (the best sappy love ballad ever, bar none), and the just flat-out jaw-dropping "Follow the Sun" (with one of the best choruses in the history of time). "My Everafter" starts with an icy keyboard melody, building into a powerful riff, and again we have a great chorus. "Despicable" starts out at kind of a mid-pace, finally building into faster, hard-rocking riffs, making for a great finale. But it's not over yet, at least not if you have the special edition. The special edition includes an instrumental bonus track called "Prognosis", which is an energetic, guitar-driven piece, filled with intense, Dream Theater-like riffs and beautiful melodies. It's actually kind of repetitive, but it's not really a big deal, because the music is so great.

Maybe I'm a bit biased, as I am a total Enchant fanboy these days, but I think this album, and this band, are just fantastic. Anyone who enjoys well-played music with great melodies should buy up everything this band has to offer, and this album here is probably a good place to start. However, if you're a prog snob, who thinks that technical prowess is more important than petty things like catchiness or playing for the song, you'll probably hate it. These guys are amazing musicians, but they make songs, not wankfests. So, yeah, buy this. You might like it.

(Oh, and it can't be said enough: Ted Leonard has one of the most perfect voices in all of rock.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchant : "Blink Of An Eye", January 9, 2006

By 

Masked Jackal (Ft. Lauderdale, FL United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blink of an Eye (Audio CD)

***** - FIVE STARS
===================

If you're like me, you've probably never heard of Enchant until now. I myself didn't know what to expect, but I can tell you Enchant is without question one of the most inspiring unknown bands on the planet. They play in the vein of bands like Kansas, Rush, but have a hard / soft edge to their sound. It's highly enjoyable....

I'm amazed with the creativity Enchant displays with each and every release. They never seem to be satisfied with one specific direction. They're always pushing the bar, and with "Blink Of An Eye" they've craeted yet another masterpiece for us to enjoy....

If you enjoy great, well crafted music, buy everything from Enchant with confidence. One of the greatest unknown bands I've ever heard...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A confirmation of their excellence, nothing new though, August 13, 2002

By 

Lorre (Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blink of an Eye (Audio CD)

This new Enchant is again an outstanding effort and confirms the formidable talents of all players involved. It is a logical follow-up to the fantastic 'Juggling 9...'. It does however not reach the same heights of songwriting. This is probably due to the departure of Craddick whose strong composer capabilities (think of Xen) are clearly missed. Craddick and Ott were a superb songwriting team and it is a shame that such talents have parted ways. Now all music on this album is written by Ott who does a very good job with a collection of songs that range from good (My Everafter, Despicable) to excellent (Under Fire, Prognosis, Seeds of Hate, Flatline) to astonishing (Monday, Follow the Sun, Ultimate Gift). The pure genious that popped up occasionally on the first 5 albums (think of songs like Enchanted, Look away, New Moon, The Lizard, My Enemy, The Cross, Paint the Picture, Traces) is not present here however. That's sad but understandable given the drain of talent this band has endured during the last few years (Benignus and Craddick). Moreover it seems that Ott has chosen not to adopt a drastically new sound as was done on 'Break' and to a lesser extent on 'Juggling 9'. There are no experiments on this album.
Besides the songwriting, the music also suffers from the craving of Craddick's superbly dynamic playing (the Neil Peart effect in Enchant).
Of Course there is enough talent left in Enchant: both Ott and Leonard now form the core of this band. Ott's rhythm and (typical) solo parts are always interesting and never self-indulgent and Ted Leonard's voice is marvelous and beyond compare.
This is an excellent CD but hopefully not the first sign of the (always inevitable) future decline.