Blink of an Eye

Enchant's new cd Blink of an Eye is here and its a fairly decent cd. It consists of mainly midtempo softer type songs that are catchy yet completely progressive and even though I prefer harder hitting prog bands like Symphony X and Threshold I was still able to appreciate Blink of an Eye. The first track Under Fire sets the tone for the whole album. It is packed with very "proggish" keys and guitar lines intertwined with acoustic passages especially in the chorus. The album has rather deep lyrics such as this song as it deals with a mans battle with his emotions as he thinks about the effects that his killing in war does to other lives, or track two and one of my favorites, Monday, where they sing about how Mondays just make them feel like shit going to work and becoming part of the corporate machine yet again in a never ending cycle. I like Monday alot because of its extreme catchiness. It sounds like it could actually be played on a good rock radio station with its incredibly infectious chorus. One thing I have to mention is that singer, Ted Leonard has an excellent voice with a very high yet restrained style that is full of rich emotion. Some people might be turned off though by his stratospheric singing at first, its an acquired taste. Back to the songs. Another midtempo song is next, Seeds of Hate, and isnt all that memorable except for the brilliant guitar solo. The pace picks up with the fourth track Flat Line. Compared to the rest of the album this is the heaviest track with some crunchy guitars and tight drumming. My favorite soft song on an album full of soft songs is Ultimate Gift. This starts off with an almost Def Leppard like guitar harmony / melody and is simply put, a great song. That simple yet beautiful melody is just as memorable as most bands choruses are to their "hit" songs. It is probably the least progressive song on Blink of an Eye but is still my favorite. Invisible and Despicable also get favorable nods towards their direction, they sound very modern and different than most progressive rock Ive heard. On final note the bonus track, Prognosis sounds similar to Lines in the Sand off of Dream Theater's Falling Into Infinity album. Im not a huge Enchant fan. In fact, Blink of an Eye is the first cd of theirs Ive really listened to. Like I stated earlier its a decent, above average Progressive Rock cd but I prefer heavier and faster material. This album could have benefited the listener more if it had more rockin' type tracks and a few more faster songs as well. As it is though Blink of an Eye is a decent album, not something to be mad about if you buy it but it will probably one of those cds you reach for only every once in a while. If youre a casual Progressive Rock listener I would recommend Blink of an Eye as a good cd but not something to sell your soul to get, hardcore prog fans however will most likely eat this up.