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Enchant - The Great Divide CD (album) cover

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Enchant

Heavy Prog


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4 stars One decade of silence... Enough time for good song writing, for good compositions... And they took advantage of this period of time... This album is much better that their pasts....specially in the first half of the album. The second half in nearer their first decade More symphonic prog rock , more jazz fusion prog rock sometimes...not a so heavy progressive rock. Ted LeonardĻs vocals better that ever. The US prog rock basis (founded by Kansas,Styx and similar..)is always here. So nice songs ...with a lot of synths ..,all musicians as good as before. Hope this reunion will last an extender future...because this work is a promise. Four stars...maybe 4,5 for this very good returning.
Report this review (#1286449)
Posted Wednesday, October 1, 2014 | Review Permalink
5 stars Trumphant return for this amazing American prog rock band!ENCHANT ,since the begining,was one of my favourite band and I was absolutelly amazed when I've heard that bafter 11 ans,they will be back with another studio album!Especially after TED LEONARS was anounced like lead singer for SPOCK'S BEARD,i was almost 100 % sure ENCHENT is overI was-fortunatelly-so wrong!!!!This new album comes after 11 years since the last studio album and all I can say is THE BOYS ARE BACK!!!Sensational album,all ENCHANT magical musical ingredients are here and I like it a lot!Wonderful melodies,superbe lyrics and masterful musicianship!Great sound aswell and the keyboards sound more then wonderful!!!Doug's guitar solos are majestic .Ed bass's sound killer and all the band is in perfect shape!TED is on top of his vocal skills and his singing is so passioned and expressive!Hard to say which song is the strongest one...all the album is solid as monolyth!!!I agree,maybee it's not a 5 stars album ,but I respect the musical integrity of the band and their will to make the story to continue!!!!
Report this review (#1287403)
Posted Saturday, October 4, 2014 | Review Permalink
FragileKings
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars From the first listen it was apparent that this is a very good album. No, I don't feel it's excellent. And I certainly don't feel it's poor. It's just very good.

At first, I immediately likened it to Spock's Beard's latest release, "Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep". In fact, I really thought it sounded a lot like that album. As it turns out, it's the same vocalist! Ted Leonard of Enchant sings on the latest SB album, too! But not just that. As I stated in my review of the SB album, the songs are very much in the contemporary rock vein but with extended instrumental sections for showcasing solo ability and some prog- infused musical passages. This album is nearly a twin brother.

As we are looking at very song-oriented rock music, one shouldn't expect a prog extravaganza. Most of the songs have some additional flair of prog sensitivity; however, they are very much well-composed, well-written, and well- executed rock songs with that something extra that makes them more than just mainstream.

The double album with a bonus disc is a very nice way to get into this band because the extra disc is a compilation of songs from their previous albums. I have found it is not easy or cheap to get some of Enchant's older releases, so this disc is a welcome bonus indeed. Furthermore, the digipak comes like a nice hardcover book with each CD on an inside cover and a booklet of song lyrics, album credits and extra artwork. It looks really stunning and I have to think that these beautiful digipaks are the CD answer to the gatefolds of vinyl albums.

An album recommended for fans of Spock's Beard's less adventurous music. Very good music. Nothing mind-blowing unless you are new to prog but, well, very good! Four stars on a good day. Three stars plus a little on any other day.

Report this review (#1298739)
Posted Thursday, October 30, 2014 | Review Permalink
UMUR
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars "The Great Divide" is the 8th full-length studio album by US progressive rock/metal act Enchant. The album was released through InsideOut Music in September 2014. Enchant has been on a longer hiatus, and havenīt released a studio album since "Tug of War (2003)", although they did release the "Live at Last" live album and DVD in 2005 before disappearing completely. Especially lead vocalist Ted Leonard has spend the intermediate years in a very productive way though as he has released albums with Affector, Thought Chamber and Spockīs Beard, and also played live with Transatlantic. Drummer Sean Flanegan has played with Cynthesis and keyboard player Bill Jenkins has also been involved with Thought Chamber. Other than the mentioned musical projects, the members have also spend time starting families.

So 11 years later is it then a more mature band who has written and recorded "The Great Divide"? Thatīs actually both a yes and a no as Enchant has almost always appeared as a mature act with a defined sound, and while "The Great Divide" is different sounding from the last couple of releases by the band, itīs not so different that you canīt instantly recognise Enchantīs signature sound. Ted Leonardīs strong voice and skillful vocal delivery is as always in front of the bandīs progressive rock/metal sound. A sound that features vocals, drums, bass, guitar, and omnipresent keyboards. Both the vocals and the instrumental parts are skillfully performed by all involved.

The material on the 8 track, 55:34 minutes long album, features clear vers/chorus structures, but most tracks also feature extented instrumental progressive sections, alternate vocal sections, and both guitar and keyboard solos, so this is still pretty complex music, which the often relatively long playing times of the tracks also provide room for. Melody and memorability are always in focus though and the technical playing is ultimately just a means to an end. Compared to the last couple of releases, "The Great Divide" isnīt as heavy and there are only a few metal traits overall on the album. Instead the keyboards are more dominant than ever, and Douglas Ott concentrate more on lead guitars, atmospheric chords progressions, and clean guitar parts, than heavy distorted riffing. So "The Great Divide" is overall more a progressive rock release rather than a progressive metal ditto.

"The Great Divide" is overall a relatively strong release with a good flow, and while the quality and memorability of the tracks decrease sligthly after the opening trio of tracks "Circles" (which is a pretty different sounding Enchant song), "Within An Inch" and the title track, the album as a whole is both well written and for the most part intriguing (although the lyrics are generally filled with simple rock clichés, and definitely could have been written with a bit more finesse). The fact that itīs both well performed and well produced too, arenīt exactly issues either and 3.5 star (70%) is therefore fully deserved. "The Great Divide" is ultimately a welcome comeback release for Enchant, although not all tracks are equally interesting and some lack a bit of edge and power (tracks like "Transparent Man" and "Life In A Shadow" apply to that description).

Report this review (#1320080)
Posted Friday, December 5, 2014 | Review Permalink
3 stars Less would have certainly been more.

As an American, Enchant is a prog group that I would really like to appreciate. But alas, it's been hard.

The last album I really liked by them was Wounded that was released in the late 90's.

So, fast forward to today. After a ten year hiatus, the band reforms with vocalist Ted Leonard and produce The Great Divide. Perhaps the word overproduce would be more apt. While I know that Enchant has changed their sound since the 90's, I'm also aware that they never wore their influences on their sleeves like their friends from Spock's Beard. And where SP could be considered a guilty pleasure due to their many references to other prog groups and even AOR stalwarts, Enchant was always seriously progressive. Fine. I have no problem with that except when I feel that Enchant goes out of their way to remind us, as they do on this album.

Frankly, the Great Divide is not an easy listen. Leonard is still in great voice, but you had better love it because you will be in for a lot of it. I wonder how he could stand up to the excess verbiage of The Great Divide's songs on tour. There is an over abundance of Ted's verse and choruses in these songs, even if they are just repeated.

The accompanying music is grandly prog with rapid time changes and an over abundance of keyboards that seem to fill every nook and cranny in the soundscape. Even Ott's excellent guitar solo in Within An Inch is sung over by Leonard with annoying call and response type vocals. The response vocals being slightly treated by a slight vocoder type echo effect.

This type of production strangles what should have been an excellent outing by this band as can be gleaned from the album's most straight up song All Mixed Up. It has a great stomping beat, great guitar hooks and solos that are not obscured. Leonard is still singing his heart out but his brief breaks, in order to come up for air, add space for the music.

The songs on The Great Divide are good songs with some decent lyrics. It's a shame the band did not employ an outside producer to help par down the overproduction, cut out a lot of Leonard's redundant verses and choruses, and let the album really shine. 3 stars.

Report this review (#1320259)
Posted Friday, December 5, 2014 | Review Permalink
Evolver
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams
3 stars I enjoyed Spock's Beard's latest album "Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep" immensely. So immensely that I began looking for albums with singer Ted Leonard, and his previous band, Enchant. It turns out that Enchant had been dormant for over ten years before the release of this album.

The music is very similar to Spock's Beard, some symphonic tendencies mixed with heavy prog. And the musicianship is excellent. The performances are excellent, as is the production.

But here's the problem. When I'm listening to the album, I find it enjoyable. It's just the type of prog that gets me going. But once it is finished, nothing stays with me. I've played it a few dozen times, and before I play the disk, I just cannot recall anything from any of the songs. My wife tells me that she thinks all of the songs sound the same. And unless I'm concentrating on the album, most of them do have a similar sound.

I think if they had added some of the humor and whimsy of the Beard's album it would have lifted this one much higher. But perhaps the presence of Neal Morse (in limited capacity) on the SB release was what lifted it higher.

Oh well. I like it, I just don't love it.

Report this review (#1341003)
Posted Tuesday, January 6, 2015 | Review Permalink
Aussie-Byrd-Brother
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Formed back in the mid Nineties, American prog band Enchant have come to be associated with heavy and complex arrangements mixed with soaring vocals and strong melodies. Fronted by the charismatic Ted Leonard, the band delivered seven studio albums and 2004's live set `Live at Last' before essentially going on hiatus, finally emerging in 2014 after ten years. This comeback album `The Great Divide' makes it seem like the band were never away at all, and in some ways it picks up exactly where they left off with just a little more sophistication and restraint, and it just may be the most enjoyable and consistent Enchant album to date.

One thing instantly noticeable in this latest outing is a more relaxed vocal from Ted. During their break, the singer became the new frontman for fellow American prog rockers Spock's Beard, replacing the departing Nick D'Virgilio. Ted's debut for that band `Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep' was well received by their fans, in some ways considered a real return to form for them. It was surprising to discover on that one that Ted had toned down his usual exhausting, sometimes overwrought drawn out singing style from the early Enchant albums. He's now learnt a great deal more subtlety without cutting back on his powerful range, making him a far better singer overall, and he thankfully employs that same style here.

Right from the melodic opener `Circles', it seems like the connection with Spock's Beard has also musically overall been a bit of an influence on Enchant this time around, and anyone looking into this band for the first time coming from the last Beard album should feel right at home here. A gutsy guitar driven rock sound with sleek synths and strong vocal hooks is the template here, with the band stripping back many of their earlier heavier elements and even introducing a few vintage influences here and there as well. `Within an Inch' is an early highlight with a frantic chorus that jumps up in tempo, but especially striking is a lovely reflective middle with gentle jazzy drumming, placid thoughtful piano and a soul-seeking lyric that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Neal Morse album. The title track `The Great Divide' will be adored by Yes fans due to Ed Platt's nimble and blistering ripping Chris Squire-esque bass and Bill Jenkin's bombastic Wakeman-like synth stabs, and although the main tune is a little unengaging, the lyrics are very interesting and the chorus has slick harmony vocals. `All Mixed Up' jumps between plodding heavy grunt and subtle slinking grooves with a crooning vocal from Ted, who even pulls off some effective lady-killer swooning falsetto!

Guitarist Douglas Ott lets rip with endless shining soloing moments on the poppier and almost radio-friendly `Transparent Man', and with nice call and response shared vocals and a catchy chorus, it makes you wish all commercial radio music sounded as good as this! Same goes for the nice mix of acoustic and electric guitars and smooth intricate vocal harmonies of `Life in a Shadow', and I definitely relate to the biting chorus lyric. `Deserve to Feel' is one of the longer heavier tracks with plenty of fiery instrumental soloing back and forth between the musicians, actually not far off Dream Theater but definitely a bit more fun and playful, and the chorus is upbeat and warm. `Here and Now' is a welcome darker, more melancholic track with a very confronting lyric and sombre mood, and it finishes up the vocal pieces in a classy manner.

But Enchant decide to close the album with the amusingly titled instrumental `Prognosticator', which turns out to be an all-out total prog orgasm! So many manic tempo changes and aggressive whirling energy, there's everything from manic ELP-bombastic swirling organ assaults, dominating heavy guitar riffs and dirty grooves, slithering bass, Sean Flanegan's furious drum attacks, and even jangling Porcupine Tree-like acoustic guitar chimes. It holds together impossibly tightly, is another reminder that the band actually have a sense of humour, and it brings delicious vintage prog excess and modern power together in perfect unity! What a thrilling way to finish a great album!

Enchant show a great deal of maturity and musical sophistication on `The Great Divide', and not only do they deliver exciting and varied instrumental displays with emotional vocals from a singer who's never sounded better, they've also written some very relatable lyrics that lift the material even higher. It's appreciated to hear a prog album more grounded in reality, a world away from fantastical concepts and surreal imagery! If you like hard rocking progressive-related music that prizes strong lyrical and vocal elements just as highly as tricky instrumental displays, or perhaps you're a newcomer to the band due to the connection with Spock's Beard, there's so much to enjoy here. If you do decide to look into the album, be sure to go for the lavish double gatefold vinyl edition from Insideout Music!

It's good to have Enchant back, and even more satisfying that they're sounding better than ever!

Four stars.

Report this review (#1374576)
Posted Saturday, February 28, 2015 | Review Permalink
3 stars I think Evolver hit the nail on the head..." once it is finished, nothing stays with me. "

It is a good album, but it doesn't command my attention like some of their earlier albums. I loved their first 5 recordings the best. After that, the melodies, arrangements and production all seem to meld into a heavy 'sameness' without the distinguishing 'holy crap....that's great!!' moments that permeated their earlier releases. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all of their albums. And their last three all have some great moments that I relish (which go into my iTunes playlist of "Enchant Favorites"). But after such a long hiatus, I had hoped for more memorable tunes with the great melodies/hooks that they're capable of on this latest one.

I'll be the first to admit that I miss Paul Craddock's inventive drumming. And at times, I think their lyrics could use some assistance. For example: Circles (Like a dog chasing his tail - Like a snake eating itself - Like a rat stuck in a cage)....after the third "Like a", I was thinking "ok, guys....we get it".

To quote Evolver one more time (perhaps I should just re-post his review), "I like it, I just don't love it".

Report this review (#1481865)
Posted Tuesday, November 3, 2015 | Review Permalink
SouthSideoftheSky
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Symphonic Team
3 stars Full circle

11 years after their previous studio album, Enchant returned in 2014 with The Great Divide. It seems that the band's fans are somewhat "divided" over this album, but personally I think it is easily their best since the 1990's and much superior to their previous three studio records (which I didn't like much). Indeed, I think this album even rivals Break and I would rank it just below Wounded. Like the latter 1996 album, for example, The Great Divide also has its best three songs right at the beginning with Circles, Within An Inch, and the title track all being very strong compositions. The keyboard sound often reminds me of Dream Theater's classic Images And Words. After these first three tracks, however, the album seems to lose some of its initial magic and quickly settles into the band's comfort zone of melodic, mildly progressive Rock.

The musicianship it top notch throughout and the production values are high, but the inspiration falters on a few of the tracks. The album's low points are Transparent Man and Life In A Shadow which feature choruses that are just to middle-of-the-road for my tastes. The album's final two tracks are again better but not up to par with the opening triad.

Despite that the album's best songs come at the beginning and that it holds some weaker songs in the middle, I still think the decade long hiatus seems to have done the band a great deal of good. In the meantime, vocalist Ted Leonard and keyboarder Bill Jenkins contributed to the amazing band Thought Chamber whose 2013 album Psykerion is absolutely magnificent. Leonard also sang with Transatlantic and Spock's Beard. What the rest of the Enchant members have been up to I couldn't say.

The Great Divide is a good Enchant album, but certainly not essential. I hope that another live album is forthcoming from Enchant as I would love to hear some of these songs performed live.

Report this review (#1552758)
Posted Sunday, April 17, 2016 | Review Permalink
Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Following Tug of War, Enchant went into a big hiatus, at least as far as studio activity was concerned, and their members pursued other interests. Frontman Ted Leonard, in particular, would find a new berth in the intervening time as the lead singer in Spock's Beard, replacing Nick D'Virgilio - but that didn't stop him and the gang getting back together to give Enchant one more go in the studio.

I wasn't so keen on the last two Enchant albums before the hiatus, and in both cases the issue largely stemmed from the departure of Paul Craddick from the band. As well as being the group's drummer, Craddick had made extensive contributions to the songwriting, and it was immediately apparent in his absence that the band's pool of creative ideas had become just a bit shallower as a result. (In particular, the Rush influence which kept creeping into their stuff disappeared, to its detriment.)

Under such circumstances, it's understandable that the band would want to step back a while and recharge their songwriting batteries before giving things another go-around. Unfortunately, in this case I don't think it quite worked. On the one hand, at least this isn't another re-run of Blink of an Eye; they're playing somewhat less heavy this time around, in a reversion back in a more art rock/melodic rock-with-prog-influences direction. Unfortunately, that isn't quite enough to invest the material with much in the way of personality. Once again, they play perfectly competently, but it's so generic that I can't retain any of it in my memory once the album stops playing.

If The Great Divide has failed to rekindle my enthusiasm for Enchant, it also seems to have failed to prompt the band themselves to spend more time, well, being Enchant. Take Ted Leonard, for example: in the intervening eight years or so since this released, he's fronted two Spock's Beard studio albums and three Pattern-Seeking Animals releases, as well as working live dates with all those projects, whereas Enchant has been inactive in the studio and, after the 2015 tour supporting this album wrapped up, seem to have only gotten together to play live at major prog festivals like Cruise To the Edge.

Might this be the end of Enchant? If that's the case, it's a bit of a lukewarm ending. On the one hand, it's not an embarrassingly poor album; on the other hand, the bonus disc on some editions which provides a potted "best of" their preceding career kinds of beats the pants off The Great Divide itself. I'm certainly more inclined to remember Enchant for albums like Blueprint of the World or Break than for unmemorable material like this.

Report this review (#2870525)
Posted Saturday, December 24, 2022 | Review Permalink
2 stars After the release of their 7th full-length album Tug of War in 2003 and a celebratory live album in 2004, Enchant took a long hiatus that lasted more than a decade. I was convinced this would be the end for the band, especially after their singer Ted Leonard joined Spock's Beard in 2011. Yet, three years later in 2014 Enchant made a comeback with one more full-length album, The Great Divide, written and recorded by the same line-up of Tug of War. The band disappeared from the scenes once more after this record and remains inactive to date.

I do not know whether the band intended The Great Divide to be a return to their glory days of the late 1990s, when they released their best albums (1998's Break and 2000's Juggling 9 or Dropping 10), but if so, it's hard to see the new LP as a resounding success. In fact, it is even difficult to find traces of Enchant's early sound in the new album. The new material is quite light-weighted and lacks many of the progressive rock and metal stylings that had once characterized Enchant's music. The album veers instead more decidedly towards AOR and light mainstream rock territory. These influences had always been present in Enchant's albums, but in earlier records they had been complemented with a generous coating of progressive complexity and metallic heaviness. This is hardly the case here. One remaining trace of "progginess" on The Great Divide is the songs' length, which frequently extends beyond the 7-minute mark. However, despite the duration, there is not a lot going on in the music in terms of intricate developments or structures. The songs are instead rooted in standard verse-chorus form with extended instrumental passages that showcase the band's playing ability (and the solos are indeed quite good!).

The arrangements are generally simple. The guitar is often limited to providing a light, chord-based rhythmic foundation as well as soft melodic leads. The keyboards occupy a much larger portion of the soundscape compared to previous albums and often take a key role in providing melodic counterpoints to Ted Leonard's vocal lines. These are generally weak, not because Ted is a bad singer (quite the contrary, his voice has always been a major strength for Enchant), but because they feel generic and are rarely memorable. Simply put, the songs are devoid of hooks that could elevate the already pared-down material above averageness.

Ultimately, this is how I would describe this album: neither very bad, nor very good, just simply average. Truth be told, this is also how I felt about Enchant's previous two records, Blink of an Eye and Tug of War. Those albums, however, had slightly more redeeming qualities than The Great Divide, thanks to more interesting arrangements and a handful of songs that stood out as particularly memorable. This is not the case here, if we exclude opening song "Circles", which is probably the most accomplished and impactful composition of the album. On that song, Ted Leonard sings "I need a new direction - I need a course correction", which is actually an apt description of what I wished The Great Divide would do at some point during its course, though it never did.

Report this review (#2940503)
Posted Sunday, July 16, 2023 | Review Permalink

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