WOUNDED

Enchant is always a welcome jab of that tasty 90s prog rock sound, and in their own melodic way of presenting it as an elegant hybrid between the romantic 80s Marillion feel and the mightier, heavier and quite technical bravado of a band like Rush (perhaps with sprinkles of old school Dream Theater here and there), it is quite an enjoyable musical escape when the listener seeks a band that can propose simultaneously digestible, melodic and thoughtful rock songs that do not fit the radio-friendly format and dare to go off the rulebook, sometimes gleaming with instrumental prowess, and sometimes with visionary narrative lyrical content. The band's second studio release, 'Wounded' from 1996 does all of this very well - this also happens to be the second album recorded by the classic lineup of Ted Leonard (vocals), Doug Ott (guitars), Mike Geimer (keys), Ed Platt (bass), and Paul Craddick (drums), presenting a solid collection of nine new compositions that seek to expand the sound of their fabulous 1993 debut album 'A Blueprint of the World'.

However, as unfortunately as it might sound, 'Blueprint' was way too good to be bettered, and this is confirmed upon experiencing the full 1996 release by Enchant - the album is packed with intense, heavy, yet melancholic songs that do a great job of solidifying the sound that the band was going for at that time, but sound slightly overplayed and prolonged, too; At around sixty-three minutes of playtime, 'Wounded' does feel a bit tiring, and the sole reason for that is the fact that there is some filler, some passages that do not necessarily contribute much, like in the songs 'Hostile World', 'Look Away' or 'Armour', all three of them falling thin on the more forgettable side of things. Then again, one should praise the phenomenal lead guitar playing by Doug Ott all throughout, his masterful control of the instrument is surely an improvement over the guitar sound on 'Blueprint' as well as the great bass licks of Ed Platt, also displaying enviable technicality and feel. Ted Leonard sounds well, his lyrics are once again very touching, very beautiful. Among the highlights of the album are the opening track 'Below Zero', the epic 'Fade 2 Gray', one of the really better Enchant songs, 'Broken', with its moody shifts and great chorus, and the album closer 'Missing' where the band really let themselves go to mad.

Had it been reduced to five or six tracks, and clocking in between 35 and 40 minutes, 'Wounded' would have been a much stronger and better received successor to the massively impressive debut album 'A Blueprint of the World'. It is still a good album full of great songs, and a nice suggestion for anyone seeking something different that is both technical and enjoyable.