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The Enchant are a Californian prog band, formed towards the end of the '80s, with seven albums and a live disc already under their belt. “A Blueprint of the World”, released in 1993, is their debut album and probably their best work. The album is produced under the guidance of the maestro Steve Rothery, who also plays as a guest on a couple of tracks. However, the influence of Marillion is not very noticeable and, if you really want to point out some derivation, their sound is more akin to a cross between Rush (of Moving Pictures, to be clear) and a more technical AOR in the style of Asia. The result is nonetheless a progressive rock focused on melody, with long and elaborate tracks.
The instrumental passages are remarkable, but no instrument overshadows the others, which makes the sound blend decidedly pleasant. However, there are two slight flaws that, in my opinion, detract from this work: the volume of the drum parts is too high and the guitar distortions are too "clean" and not very incisive. It must be said, however, that these flaws do not overshadow the skill and inspiration of the two musicians in question. In fact, Doug Ott is an excellent guitarist who compensates in all other aspects. And the drummer Paul Craddick deserves particular praise for being very varied and creative, managing to keep even the most complex rhythms flowing. The singer Ted Leonard is another strong point of the group, with his romantic and almost never aggressive approach, his nasal voice and a warm timbre that plays on high pitches without overdoing the high notes. The keyboards lastly, always measured and never banal, favor crystalline sounds in pure 80s new prog style (Marillion, IQ).
The album consists of nine compositions. Perhaps the weakest is the opener “The Thirst”, which nonetheless highlights Leonard’s inspired singing. But Enchant also deliver tracks of great quality, such as the sweet and melancholic “Catharsis”, a mirror of the soul, alternating between soft and lyrical moments and a more rhythmic and catchy chorus, yet absolutely not trivial. “Oasis” is instead more aggressive and fast, driven by harder guitar riffs and interesting keyboard escapes. The fourth track “Acquaintance” is a romantic ballad, starting with a delicate guitar arpeggio that gains more dynamism in the brilliant refrain. The album proceeds with the instrumental “Mae Dae”, a nod to the aforementioned Rush, and the subsequent “At Death’s Door” and “East of Eden”, good pieces with interesting rhythmic ideas.
The two songs closing the album, “Nighttime Sky” and “Enchanted”, are the most elaborate and progressive of the lot, mixing refined instrumental escapes with characteristic melodic passages, in an impressive variety of sounds and moods. But the peculiarity of Enchant is precisely that of managing to make even technically complex and varied songs sound fresh and almost radio-friendly. Over the years, the group has always proposed more or less the same formula, improving their sound, but without major stylistic differences. The subsequent works are all appreciable, although probably the overall quality of this album has never been reached again.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
03 Oasis (08:12)
My destination is unknown
And i've lost my way
But I still have water
With my rations running low
I am so fatigued
Can I go much further?
Lost and all alone
In the blazing heat
And it just gets hotter
Sweat drips down my skin
And string my eyes
As I look toward the distance
Blistered hands block the sun
That blinds my sight
And dances on the horizon
Is there something up ahead?
Or just a mirage
Fooling me again
Another dried up waterhole
Lacking nourishment
Quench my thirst and feed my mind
The place that I seek is so far away
And I don't know which way to go
The vision I see is a holy place
That is tranquil to the soul
Just a nomad sailling across this earthly sea
Searching on and on for sanctuary
Weary from the chase of life's eluding dream
Strive to reach that goal but it's never ending
Raise my canteen to parched lips
Taste the water so sweet
Take one last swallow
So many miles I have come
So many more to go
Down the path I follow
Funny how we lose our way
Through this desolate land
Lives are grains of sand
Which way will the wind blow?
Sifting through our hands
To fall wherever they may
The place that I seek is so far away
And I don't know which way to go
The vision I see is a holy place
That is tranquil to the soul
04 Acquaintance (06:31)
When I spoke with you today
I didn't know what to say
It's been so long, so long
I said I'm doing fine
But what haunts my troubled mind
Is where it all went wrong, so wrong
I did not suspect
That we would not connect
And end up strangers
I could dance with you all night
Make love by candlelight
We could talk and talk but it's all in spite
Because you'll never be my friend
I could walk with you through the rain
We could share each other's pain
We could do all this but it's all in vain
Because you'll never be my friend
As time goes flying by
I have to wonder why
I don't see you anymore
they call it chemistry
What will or will not be
What's missing between you and me
[Chorus]
When I spoke with you today
I didn't know what to say
Maybe so long, so long
If you chance on me some night
Underneath some lone streetlight
Just wave and say,"So long ,so long"
I do not regret
The chance I shan't forget
And we're no longer strangers
You could dance with me all night
Make love by candlelight
We could talk and talk but it's all in spite
Because I'll never be your friend
You could walk with me through the rain
We could share each other's pain
We could do all this but it's all in vain
Because I'll never be your friend
Never be my friend,my friend
You wouldn't be my friend
And I couldn't be your friend
So long,so long...
[Music and Lyrics: D.Ott]
06 At Death's Door (07:17)
I run my desperate trembling hands Along the floor were you once walked Fighting tears that come from loss I brave the rooms where we once talked You took a part of me I never can reclaim Your spirit's in my heart But you know it's not the same Straining to beat this blur of tears Swollen eyes beg for my dead friend Reminiscing with a photograph Drives home (that) what was won't be again I will to guarantee my reason will prevail Pain breeds the need for make believe To soothe a heart that's fail Like a wind-up clock left in the rain Like a candle burns away its light We all suffer at death's door As surely as day turns into night I drop down to my knees and plead with the sky Of course it does no good But i'll give anything a try Gazing,thinking,standing on a cliff That guards the blue-green of the sea I accept the blueprint of the world,that All must pass away that's come to be You meant so much to me That's why there's all this pain So much improved from our exchange It will never be same Like a wind-up clock left in the rain Like a candle burns away its light We all suffer at death's door As surely as day turns into night Like a wind-up clock left in the rain Like a candle burns away its light We all suffer at death's door We all suffer loss... As surely day changes into night [Music: B.Cline, P.Craddick] [Lyrics: P.Craddick]
07 East of Eden (05:49)
I'll soon use my hands
To carve paths through this caged world
Locked up by them
I must hold my courage
Whether their kind will ever give
Whether in life they'll ever live
Flaming eyes burn far above
A candle's glow
Naked to myself
Chained to change
One day see the light
As I grasp for this
My world
my joy
Purged of its life
They will seek their reward
Leading them on...
They'll bleed they own hearts
Steal my world
Asserting that I must sanction worse
Flaming eyes burn far above
A candle's glow
Naked to myself
Chained to change
09 Enchanted (07:17)
There's an aura around you I'm captivated by your eyes I can't believe that i've found you Why am I so starry eyed? I once lived with honor Followed codes of chivalry But I can't help but falter Under the spell of Annowree Oh- This love's not for real The emotions I feel Oh- stronger than tempered steel Can't you see how I feel? Where did you come from? What's your name? Is it all a game? You ignite men's hearts aflame To burn for you in vain Like a magnet you draw me Like a spider to the fly An empty heart is so easy To seduce and hipnotize Oh- is this my destiny? A lock whithout a key No- this nightmare is no dream Have I lost Reality? Where did I come from? What's my name? Nothing seems the same You ignite my heart aflame To burn for you in vain And the ones who let their hearts Rule their minds Will burn their bridges When they've crossed And leave the world behind... Leave it all behind No- this loves not for real The emotions I feel No- can I break this spell? Only time will tell [Music: D.Ott,P.Craddick] [Lyrics: D.Ott]
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