Customer Reviews

Blink of an Eye

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.)

***** - 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...

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.

This is the fifth album (sixth if you count _Time Lost_) from a band whose talent is way beyond its level of recognition. Enchant is just about the best rock band out there right now.

_Blink of an Eye_ finds Enchant with a pretty major lineup change. Gone is drummer Paul Craddick, replaced by newcomer Sean Flanegan. Those are pretty big shoes to fill -- not only was Paul Craddick one of the greatest rock drummers of his generation, but also an amazing lyricist and songwriter. He was a big part of Enchant's music.

Without Paul Craddick, what has happened? Guitarist Douglas Ott has become the main songwriter, sharing lyrical duties with vocalist Ted Leonard. Both of them had inspiration for this album...and then some. _Blink of an Eye_ is another amazing release that combines thoughtfulness, exuberance, and a careful eye for compositional detail. There's layers of guitar, layers of echo on the vocals, lots of keyboards, dense rhythms... _Blink of an Eye_ has a sound both elaborate and large, and the songwriting matches nicely. Douglas Ott synthesizes musical styles both progressive and popular into complicated, well-executed arrangements and absorbing songcraft fed from a deep well of authenticity and maturity.

Upon first listening to Enchant's latest, it may seem like nothing but exceptionally well-played hard rock with longer than average songs and a stunning singer. Indeed, Ted Leonard is not only a dead ringer for Steve Walsh, but his soulful voice is incredibly versatile, a quality immediately represented in "Blink of an Eye". From the distressing cries in the second verse, to the softened, sadly effulgent chorus, he shows some pretty darn impressive singing abilities.

Anyway, _Blink of an Eye_ is an album that reveals its brilliance without hurry. The profundity of it all lies beneath the surface, and a dedicated listener will find it while less patient may turn to something else. The depth is found in the intricate compositional style and the lyrical intelligence. On the first point, many different things impressed me. The keyboards that trim "Invisible" manage to assert the questioning nature of the song's lyrics. As they weave through "Flat Line", they not only texture but equipoise for the sword-edge cry of Ott's guitars. Power chorded guitar strikes accentuate desperation and guilt on "Blink of an Eye", and the melancholic acoustic guitar backing the chorus evokes a deep sadness. Every song features Douglas Ott's amazing guitar work, infused with passion and complemented by amazing (amazing!) tone. The recent Guitar World Top 100 obviously didn't feature Ott, but if I'd been in charge of the list he'd have placed high. It's not just on his merits of technical ability (which he has plenty of), but also his sense of clear emotional communication. Or he can just plain rock out like it's nobody's business (see "Despicable"). "Ultimate Gift" has beautiful guitar soloing too. "Monday" has a lot of attention on groove and texture, where drummer Flanegan shows while he may lack the sheer dexterity of Craddick, he can slip comfortably into the band's style. Especially impressive is the delicate cymbal shuffling of "My Everafter", where an echoic guitar whispers under Leonard's vocal. It is alternately crunchy and subtle.

The lyrics can be haunting and tragic (the title track), hopeful ("Follow the Sun"), and earnestly romantic ("Ultimate Gift"). Whatever subject Ott and Leonard handle, their lyrics are articulate and honest and evocative. The chorus of "Follow the Sun" is worth the price of the whole album.

For those wanting a better package, the limited edition of _Blink of an Eye_ is well worth the money (Amazon sells it). The packaging is great -- it is a nice digibook (and you know how sexy digibooks are!). Also featured is an instrumental bonus track called "Prognosis", which is a great tune (but not as good as "Mettle Men"!).

It's just tragic that Enchant doesn't have more renown. If you like what you hear, buy everything they've done. I think Amazon sells all their albums still. They are, in order of release: _A Blueprint of the World_, _Wounded_, _Break_, _Juggling 9 or Dropping 10_, and, of course, the subject of this review. There is also _Time Lost_, a stunning collection of songs that never made it onto a "real" release. Surprisingly, it has some of their best work. Paul Craddick's solo project Xen is also a must for all Enchant fans, and it's becoming increasingly rare with each passing day. It's called _84,000 Dharma Doors_ and Amazon still might have it around. Sounds like Craddick and his Enchant friends will be doing another Xen project sometime in the future.

This album is amazing. This is hard progressive rock, not metal, not neo, right in the middle. Ted has to be the best vocalist in progressive hard rock out there now. Seeing them live at NearFest, they were wonderful, and with a new drummer. Absolutely the highlight of the show!!!!
The influences to me are Rush and Kansas. The opening key chord of Under Fire and the lead guitar, then the crashing guitar chords and the awesome vocals, this is fantastic. Under Fire is a great opener with guitar lead work and airy keys. The guitar work of Enchant features a lead rhythm approach. Great opener. The next song Sunday feautures a drum tom pattern and incredible catchy vocals and not your typical chord song pattern. Another great chorus.
Seeds of Hate starts off in a type of old Kansas groove and takes off into an intense lyric and vocal about reeping what you sow. Enchant's lyrics are meaningful, though out and take you on brain and makes you think about things.

Flat Line is a great middle of the road rocker being one of my favs about a heartbreak and features atmospheric key runs and has to heard. The first part of the album lyrically is a bit darker then the second part. Follow the Sun is a beautiful ballad in the Spock's Beard ballad vein, not FM radio ballad territory. Wow, a prog hard rock band can write a beautiful love song.
My Everafter is another one of my favs on the album with great key work and guitar parts that amaze me how he pulls these songs off live, also, a lightning guitar and key battle in the song,great bass work also, WOW. Prognosis is an instrumental to end the album with, again, you have to hear it.
To sum it up, if you enjoy a good hard rock progressive band with each member sharing the highlights, check this out. Yes, there is still good hard rock progressive music, it is called ENCHANT!!!

I just wanna say that I miss this band. They haven't really done much for six or seven years now, so I assume they broke up. But the album "Blink of An Eye" and "Juggling Nine or Dropping Ten" were really great CDs. I still listen to them quite often and enjoy the tunes very much. So I would like to recommend them to all, as well as the band "Seiges Even" who were another excellent band and group of songwriters who also disbanded a few years back that I found to be in a similair musical style of powerful, emotional, exceptional, progressive music. I hope that both bands will return to the music world in some form or another sometime soon.

GREAT KANSAS INSPIRED MUSIC...NICE VOCALS AND GREAT GUITAR WORK..."MONDAY" IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL...ENCHANT HAS MY WEEKEND EXPERIENCE DOWN - "DREADING MONDAY" "UNDER FIRE" IS POWERFUL, EMOTIONAL AND MOVING...EXCELLENT,MELODIC PROGRESSIVE IN THE VEIN OF KANSAS IN THE ELEFANTE YEARS.

This release by Enchant is my first to purchase, but won't be my last. I've just had it a few days and I'm already scrambling to buy their 4 others. The musicianship is strong, Ted Leonard's voice is suprisingly song(if only Steve Walsh could still sing like this), but what really makes this effort stand out is the songs! They are beatifully simple, and at times complex, power pop songs, extremely well produced, and tightly executed. My only complaint so far is that Doug Ott's guitar solos are too short and confined to the fade-outs at the song's ends. Awesome CD, though,rush and buy it ASAP if you're a PROG fan, or even a mainstream rock fan-it's TOTALLY INCREDIBLE!!!

The strong, clear and pitch-perfect vocals of Ted Leonard fit perfectly with the uncluttered, mostly guitar driven arrangements. Tempo, song structure and guitar textures are reminiscent of Rush, while the lead and harmony vocals continually conjure up Steve Walsh and Kansas.

But San Francisco's Enchant is its own thing regardless of these influences. Each song is built on its own strong riff, clearly distinguishable from the others. Each clocks in between 5-7 minutes, but there is very little gratuitous soloing as filler, no real redundancy. Enchant always leaves you wanting more.

Guitarist Douglas Ott ekes out some tremendous rhythm and lead guitar parts, with lots of changes in texture and some sweet tone. He's demonstrated his chops before. Perhaps most surprising to me this time around is the quality of the songwriting. Most rock musicians are fair-to-middling lyricists at best. The new writing team of Ott and Leonard consistently delivers lyrics that I can relate to, whether it is the regrets of a soldier who killed in the line of duty in "Under Fire" or the strangely up-tempo breakup song "Flat Line" or the reflective laments of past mistakes such as "Seeds of Hate" or "Dispicable" or the beautiful hopeful and yearning "Follow the Sun," I hear words that move me, that make me care what Leonard is singing about. Rare.

I also want to comment on the production and the handful of original ideas that jump out when listening at full volume. For 40 years, the standard in rock audio production has been the "wall of sound" where there's a roar even when there's silence. Not so here. In the quiet moments at time changes and between beats, it is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. There is no clutter, no unnecessary layers of overdubs detracting from the mix. Each instrument can be heard loud and clear, and each adds to the sound of the song. Not one cymbal crash is heard that doesn't count for something in the arrangement.

Speaking of the arrangements, the main guitar solo in "Under Fire" rocks to high heaven while the most prominent supporting instrument is a bells-sounding synth harmoniously chiming in with complementary chords. It brings chills. "Ultimate Gift" delivers a variety of textures with very smooth transitions, all held together with a clear commitment to the song's basic melodic theme, consistent and varied at the same time. I also love the way this band can so delicately change time, best exemplified in the many changes through "My Everafter" and "Invisible."

Spend the money to get the limited edition, complete with the instrumental "Prognosis." It's a great addition to one of the best rock releases of 2002.

I had never listened to any albums of Enchant before purchasing this album and quite frankly didn't know what to expect. Blink of an Eye is a fine album which has earn a spot in my album collection, unfortunately, like so many modern progressive titles, it lacks originality. Most of the musical structures are very popular and conventional in nature. I found the classic chorus-verse-chorus-solo form to be, on most tracks, tiresome. The sound of the album however can sometimes impress, but most of time its creativity doesn't add anything to the character of the album. Some pretend that Mr. Leonard is a great vocalist, I don't. He's good, but there's nothing special about the vocals on this album. Most of the highlights are in instrumental moments when not tied up by some vocal chorus or verse.

Why make it sound like this album is a lemon and then give it 3 stars ? Well mostly because of promising instrumentals. You will find some very good guitar/bass riffs, keyboard explosions and nice percussion passages. The bonus track on this limited edition, "Prognosis", is probably the best track on the album. Coincidence, it is an instrumental track. Aside from the instrumentation, i felt like i should give some tracks more chances with a couple listenings. "My Everafter" had a fine bass line and some spatial keys. "Flat Line" starts well, but fades away into popularity.

I will probably listen to this album a couple of times before thinking about purchasing some extra Enchant work. Overall, it isn't a bad album, i just wish the group would be an instrumental group only. Make your instruments speak your thoughts first, consider vocals as an extra instrument and do not, please, do not fall into the music business mold.