THE ENID

THE ENID: INVICTA (2012) 9/10

SYMPHONIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR?

The first thing occurred to me while listening to the new album of The Enid, was the soundtrack for the movie trilogy by famous Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski "Three Colors", composed by Zbigniew Preisner (and favored by me, of course). After a short orchestral prelude "Anthropy" is coming track "One and The Many", which as if have been removed from some movie of aforementioned trilogy, most probably "Blue" . Its melancholic atmosphere, Payne's falsetto vocal, subtle orchestral arrangements, grand piano accompaniment - all perfectly creates a unique, beautifully-achingly nostalgic mood. Similarly onomatopoeic is also the composition "Heaven's Gate", the longest and actually only instrumental on the album.

Some songs, like "Who Created Me?", "Villain of Science" or "Execution Mob" as if they belonged, for a change, to some rock opera. In short, engagement of such a brilliant singer, which Joe Payne certainly is, just paid off!

I'm really excited about this record, which represents Symphonic Prog in its true sense and pure crystalline form. Everything blends perfectly here: distinctive singer, almost Gregorian vocals, sensitive orchestral arrangements along with perfect rock band sound. Of course, we haven't forget the soul of the whole line-up, and that's the main composer and keyboardist Robert John Godfrey.

For me, this is 2012 Top Symphonic album, undoubtedly. At the same time, it is a true masterpiece of The Enid and their factual stepping out of the shadow of uneventful, mostly instrumental albums issued by them since 1976. Hopefully this trend will continue! The only thing one could complain is no mention of casting of individual instruments of symphonic orchestra and choir...

Never mind, this album deserves much more attention from the Prog Rock community. And from me? 5 stars, how else? Highly recommended!

This was a most unforeseen revelation, a new album from this storied yet eclectic group led by the irascible iconoclast Robert John Godfrey. I, as many proggers from the golden age have known and possessed the first 2 legendary The Enid albums (In the Region of Summer Stars and Aerie Faerie Nonsense), attracted by the quirky union between classical orchestrations and more formal prog-rock. Their long history is very well documented and there is little need to hash over such golden territory. Let us just state that their deep instrumental symphonics were perennially modulated by trumpet-timbred synthesizers, ornate piano colorations and colossal waves of strings. RJG now has evolved into infusing this brittle formula with stunning operatic vocals, courtesy of voice wunderkind Joe Payne, owner of a lonely falsetto that would make any music fan blush with envy. He is without any doubt the focal point of this tremendous release.

This monstrous talent is evident on the stellar "One and the Many" , a brooding and melancholic composition loaded with towering strings, dense atmospherics and a dual vocal performance , first with that nearly feminine falsetto and then his "normal" tone which just shimmers with trepidation. Toss in some rumbling church organ for a finale and you have a track for the ages. Wow!

"Who Created Me" shows off some transcendent lineage that would make Freddie Mercury smile a bucktooth expression, up there in regal heaven. Playful piano toying with the operatic theatrics is perhaps an acquired taste but we are really not far removed from 'A Night at the Opera', including that zippy guitar sound that has such a captivating appeal. "Execution Mob" provides some opening cinematographic effects with carnival sonics, carousel flutes, chirping fowl and pealing bells blending in with massed choir vocals that hint at the Beach Boys what with a little calypso feel mixed with some utter Britishness! Cool runnings!

The daring "Witch Hunt" has an ominous tone where marimba patches, marshmallow guitar shrieks and swooning vocals meld into quite a stir pot of sound, spiced with dabs of trumpet/ trombone blasts. Vivacity, thunder, lightning, very very frightening! Galileo? Well we did say Witch Hunt, no? The hysteric axe creaks nastily amid the blooming string whoppers, the tympani drums booming Magma-esque when combined with the massed zeuhly choir work.

"Heaven's Gate" is the epic 9 minute colossus, a luxuriant doorway to profligate sounds, untenable angst and barely concealed apprehension, like some Kubrick-ish audio nightmare with a slowly evolving main motif. Extremely multi-dimensional space instrumental with operatic overtones in its bombastic finale, this one will require multiple revisits to sink in its anti-satanic message. Yes, and beauty will prevail in the end. Bravo!

Synthesizers anoint the perception quite religiously in the very English "Leviticus", here rather Beatles-esque than anything previously displayed, as the piano revels in the Joe Payne voice with fretting humility. This man can sing impressively and is a talent to be watched closely. Brazen guitar work only heightens the surprised enjoyment.

"Villain of Silence" is more classic the Enid, with intense importations of heady guitar (Jason Ducker, whose shattering solo will agonize the track later on) and cavernous RJG arrangements but all yielding to the playful Joe Payne voice, full of dynamic range, coy theatrics and artistic liberties (think a modern musical rock opera). "It takes the King's crown" Indeed!

"The Whispering" closes of this little masterpiece in utter style, a startlingly enjoyable listening experience that makes an immediate impact (the songs are simply of damned good quality!). Again fans of tremendous vocal ability will flock to this precious relic and will look forward to many future revisits.

The old school black and white cover artwork even winks at past glories, sylvan forests where angels, goddesses and lazing nude eunuchs play the lyre and the zauber flutes.

"I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul"

Progstreaming strikes again, providing the required marketing to hunt this one down.

4.5 poetic justices

Twenty years ago I went to see Galahad support Aerie Fairie Nonsense, which of course was The Enid under an assumed name, and RJG introduced himself to me by putting his arms around me and asking if I knew he was a poof? Now, that can make quite an impression on a lad, although it has to be said that it didn't have as much impact as seeing him play piano later on that night which was just astounding. RJG is one of those very few musicians who has always brought classical and progressive music together from the early days when he was working with Barclay James Harvest to when he formed The Enid in 1974. Since then the path has been complex and often tortuous, yet still he prevails. The current line-up features original drummer Dave Storey (although he, like Simon Nicol in Fairport, had some time off for good behaviour), guitarist Max Read (who has been there since '97), guitarist Jason Ducker (07), bassist Nick Willes (09), and new singer Joe Payne. It is interesting to see that the band now features a twin guitar attack as not many people would view them as a guitar based band ? as this is all about providing modern classical music.

There are a lot more vocals on this album than I am used to with The Enid, but at the same time it is also full of the styles and arrangements that one expects from RJG and the more I played it the more I was gradually drawn back into his world. In fact there were times when I felt that I was being taken all the way back to "Raindown" from the classic 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' and this new album stands up very well indeed to what is widely regarded as one of their best works. This is a band that is probably only ever going to be appreciated by a relatively small audience as their music is seen as 'high brow' or 'eclectic' even within the prog scene, but if you have never come across The Enid then this album is a great introduction. www.theenid.co.uk

I was quite pleasantly surprised by this album, I have been jaded to The Enid with vocals for a long time and always wrote them off as weak and taking away from the music, but this album is very different. With the addition of vocalist Joe Payne, The Enid finally has vocalist with talent to match the rest of the band. The vocalist from Journey's End, Max Read, is still here but he does mostly backing vocals now along with some additional guitar work as The Enid did always tend to have a duel guitar set up. I originally thought that they were using an actual orchestra, having thought I read that somewhere, but it seems that Robert is just getting better at mimicking the sound.

The album starts off with the short introductory piece "Anthropy." It takes about 30 seconds to build up until crashing loudly into the quiet sound of a choir and then slowly fading out. This is followed by the 10 minute track "One and the Many." This admittedly took a few plays to get into, but when I did I realized how beautiful a track this is. This track shows off Joe Payne's impressive falsetto, which at first I thought was actually a woman singing and then realized it was just Joe and his falsetto. I found this odd at first but I warmed up to it. Eventually deeper vocals join in with Joe's falsetto sounding even more operatic and very much like church music. Joe's operatic voice works very well with RJG's piano and the sound of Robert's orchestration. About 8 minutes in when I'm just starting to lose a little interest Joe's voice drops down to normal and it gives a very powerful effect. He has a remarkable voice and this sections captivates me. The backing choir vocals come back and the orchestra sounds get more powerful ending with bombastic bursts that surprise you. It may have taken a few listens to fully appreciate this song but once you let this song take it's full effect it's quite remarkable.

The next song is called "Who Created Me?' which shows off Joe's natural vocals. His vocal are theatrical and sound as if he should be on Broadway. This song immediately clicked for me on first listen, with Joe's fantastic vocals taking me by surprise. The instrumentation side however is not lacking, even if the song does focus on Joe's vocals. RJG's dramatic piano work does a great job of creating a dramatic mood along with the vocals. Not much guitar work is included in the song until the end when it builds up to a beautiful guitar solo showing just how talented the band is. This segues into the song "Execution Mob," starting off in what sounds like a carnival until church bell start to ring and the vocals kick in. These vocals are not the same however, and sound more like the Enid vocals of old, with multiple people harmonizing on vocals here. however these vocals work well here. It actually kind of shows The Enid's quirkier side. The song then ends how it started with the sound church bells before dramatically segueing into Witch Hunt. Joe is back here in parts, sharing with Max, but it sounds as if he is mimicking the old style as of The Enid's vocals much like the previous track, however as it did before these work spectacularly. The song has a sense of urgency throughout, and the guitar is more prevalent as is the sounds of the orchestration. I feel like every time I listen to his song the more I find to love about it. It soon changes from the more dramatic sound to a brighter sound, reminding me of "Raindown" from Something Wicked This Way Comes. Then suddenly frantic guitar comes in and the orchestra sounds pick up the powerful and dramatic sound from earlier on. This track does a fantastic job of showing the guitar talent in this band, especially in showing how well it works coupled with RJG's orchestration.

After that powerful track we have the instrumental "Heaven's Gate," a very atmospheric track, using RJG's synthesizer heavily. The track doesn't really change much until about 2 and half minutes in when the orchestra sounds are introduced. Their involvement increases over time, eventually introducing guitar into the mix. About 6 minutes in I find myself getting tired and it then fades back in to the atmospheric sound from the beginning though with the guitar staying in to add a more dramatic effect. Then with about a minute and a half left the orchestra sounds come powerfully back in, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. This piece, like "One and the Many," took a few listens to fully appreciate. Following "Heaven's Gate" is another initially synth driven track, "Leviticus." Joe and Max are back with Joe's voice sounding as it did on "Who Created Me?" His powerful and emotional vocals never fail to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The guitar here is very reminiscent of the guitar work on older album like In the Region... and Aerie Faerie Nonsense. About 3 minutes and 45 seconds in the guitar and orchestra sounds start building up together producing a powerful effect. I can't say enough how much I love Joe's vocals on this album, they are so powerful and effective, I think he has already made in the ranks of my favorite vocalists.

With the next track, "Villain of Science," you can tell we're nearing the end. This song is another dramatic and theatrical performance like "Who Created Me?" which it reprises at that end. This is another track that immediately clicked with me. The song in parts sounds as if it wouldn't be out of place in Sweeney Todd. It shows Joe's range extremely well. It is an extremely playful and adventurous song, with the RJG's orchestrations at bombastic best, being backed with RJG's regular keyboard work and Jason Ducker's playful guitar riffs. About 3 minutes and 45 seconds in, followed by powerful vocals from Joe, Jason comes in with a haunting guitar solo reminiscent of Steve Hackett. It then finishes with reprisal of some of the lyrics from "Who Created Me?" and segues into the beautiful closing track "The Whispering." The vocals here sound like a church choir but they work well, with Joe's vocals still sticking out amongst them, showing off his falsetto again in some sections. It is a peaceful ending to the album, but it works extremely well.

I was initially going to give this album 4 stars, but the more I listen to it the more I realize that this a perfect album, and I can't give it anything lower than a perfect score. This easily the best album The Enid has released since Francis Lickerish left the band in the early 80s. I recommend this to anyone who can get their hands on it, and to any fans of the old Enid who have yet to try out this new incarnation, I recommend you get this album for you will not be disappointed.

Against the constant rise of the Punk and Disco movements, The Enid were determined to create high-quality music adventures and the 1977 sophomore effort of the band ''Aerie Faerie Nonsense'' is the best proof.However the release of ''In the Region of the Summer Stars'' brought also some line-up changes.Glen Tollet had left and the band welcomes Charlie Elston, who would spent short time with The Enid due to his difficulty to learn the keyboard parts.Neil Kananagh would also quit, replaced initially by Jerry Tranter and later by Terry Pack.The original vinyl LP was released on BUK Records/Honeybee.

This is an equal mixture of Classical Music and melodic Symphonic Rock with Robert John Godfrey showing his love for Wagner and Rachmaninov, featuring extended piano interludes and complicated orchestrations.The short ''Prelude'' gives rise to the nice ''Mayday Galliard'', which is a beautiful piece of soft Classical Music and Progressive Rock with some great and melodic guitar work by Stephen Stewart.The following ''Ondine'' is a mellow, dreamy, short instrumental, mainly based on soft piano and light keyboard parts, that hardly causes the attention of the listener.But the upcoming ''Childe Roland'' finds The Enid in their extreme venture.Bombastic, complicated and haunting Classical moves mixed with fiery guitar parts, including some lovely solos, and virtuosic piano arrangements by Godfrey, this track epitomized Classical/Symphonic Rock at its best.''Aerie Faerie Nonsense'' is of course highlighted by the long 17-min. epic ''Fand'' of the flipside, which is no more or less than an extended version of what The Enid presented so far, still pretty cohesive.Alternation between grandiose Classical overtones and melodic Symphonic Rock with excellent guitar parts, lots of well-crafted interplays and an overall tight mix of smooth Classical soundscapes with intense rockier moments is what ''Fand'' offers to a listener ready to face a unique cinematic experience.

The album was re-recorded and re-released in 1984 by a slightly different The Enid line-up, so the band could distribute the album on their own forces through The Enid label.It features an extended version of the album with sometimes different track titles.Due to the reworked and longer new versions, the tracks have a more apparent Classical influence, which maybe confusing for the traditional Prog listener, and thus the original 1977 version is stronger recommended as a more balanced work overall.

''Aerie Faerie Nonsense'' is a great piece of cinematic and grandiose Classical/Symphonic Rock.Fans of the style already own the album, the rest of the prog audience should give The Enid's a chance for their unique Prog stylings...3.5 stars.

There is something fascinating about the Enid, a vital force always able to build on more and climax at a higher level! The power of rock combined to the power of the symphonic orchestra is worked out at the golden quality of a perfect pair. The lyricism is phenomenal and shakes all your cells. Arise and Shine, like many other albums, also use another constant compositional element favoured by Robert John Godfrey: creating something new from previously written pieces! Is it the search of an organic continuum through time? I don't know but it works! Pieces from the debut album "In the Region of the Summer Stars" (like "The Judgement") or Salome are again presented with new details, parts, solos, sound, in magnificently recorded versions, ambitious and glorious, extraverted and emotional. One more time, we're taken away in a stream of Ravelian waves, Wagnerian exhultation, guitar solos burning you to the bone .... the musicians have changed, the sound has evolved and reflects newer times but the spirit remains untouched and the flame secretly keeps burning deep inside us. The Enid may not be seen by many as a standard progressive rock band but their spirit is anchored in it and so many other things too, most of all a somehow undefinable but clear British breath. Judge by yourself!

Hidden sapphire in the lotion

I have been a fan of The Enid of old ever since I encountered In the Region of the Summer Stars some 5 years ago, and fans of this particular period of the band will probably have some difficulties listening to The Seed & the Sower - I know I had...

First of all this record is pumped full of electronics - as in early 80s Tangerine Dream, Harald Grosskopf or Vangelis. In fact Vangelis probably is a fair reference point, as his later works often dabble in between the orchestral grandiose and what some people erroneously call new wave electronics. Robert John Godfrey just doesn´t sound like he did in the 70s, but then again we ARE visiting a progressive website aren´t we? You can still hear the heart of this guy though, as he sports one of the most characteristic synth approaches known to the northern hemisphere. It is very elegant and suave, and you can almost picture the hand lotion and flapping white doves accompanying his leads. This sounds like I´m making fun of ol´ Robert, but I´m not. 99.9% of the times I´d use a metaphor like that you´d be right, but not here.

This is very mystical music - one that flutters slowly around like a hungry vulture circling the skies looking for a rotting carcass. Either that or maybe the backwards hovering music here resembles those leafs that look like propellers, when they are torn from the tree descending towards the ground like a spinning ice figure skater.

The different usage of synths and keys on The Seed & the Sower much of the time mimic violins, cellos, flutes, clarinets and other instruments that takes you to concert halls and things that start with Royal or Philharmonic. This facet of the music doesn´t sound as chemical and clinical as one would imagine, and during my first spins - I actually thought this album was done with an orchestra and the works.

To be perfectly honest with you guys out there in computer land, if it wasn´t for the final track Reverberations, I´d most likely award this album with 2 stars. Granted the Longhome track really spices things up with some bombastic drums and guitars soaked in chilli - along with some pensive and bubbly electronics, but the other pieces here are more of a chill-out excursion - that probably only will satisfy those like myself with a soft spot for music that sounds like a mild attack of fluffy snow crystals.

Reverberations however is by far one of the most compelling and salivating modern symphonic pieces, I have ever come across. It sounds like the front cover of Tangerine Dream´s Rubycon. Yeah that sounds about right. Some kind of sonic monster growing into the universe, and leaving it behind for a new pair of trousers that actually fits. It´s a piece that breaths - it comes and rolls in large waves of notes that seem to soar freely on electronic winds and then plummet right down to earth again - piercing your body like a powerful low frequency bass - leaving your body like a shivering membrane - or like that Rubycon cover with the water drop clashing into the liquid surface. It is slow moving, and the way Godfrey utilizes the synths on here towers over the rest of the album like a tiger does a common house cat. They flicker about like small insects, but yet very controlled and hypnotic, and upon these a beautiful yearning BAH BAH is calling out in a nothingness that is so big and incomprehensible, that you´d need a new set of telescopes to watch how far into space these reverberations fly. On top of these cradling repetitions - the violin mimicking keys starts wailing and I get über chills that threatens my nipples with explosion. Reverberations is an astonishing example of music from the 80s, which is beautiful like the simplicity of decay and the colours of fall. This decade was a pillar of weltschmerz and morbid romanticism outside the top of the pops, and nowhere else will you find a more stunning rendition of these meanings than on here. If my blood, skin and soul could weep it would do so in a whirlwind of release to the sounds of Reverberations.

I am almost compelled to say, that you should get this album, if only for this last track. 3.5 stars.

Not an Enid album, but it does make sense to place it here, seeing as it's where Robert John Godfrey first tried out a number of musical ideas which would eventually become cornerstones of the Enid's sound. To be honest, I'm not a fan; whilst the Enid/Godfrey can make quite powerful music, they also seem to gravitate to some of the more saccharine and cloying elements of classical music (of the sort plastered all over Hollywood scores of old), and this album is no exception. An interesting ride for keyboard fans, but the compositions don't add up to anything compelling. Still, probably worth tracking down if you are a major Enid fan who wants to track down Godfrey's musical roots.

THE ENID's concerts at the Odeon Hammersmith supporting the "Touch Me" album, are regarded by many people as the band at their peak. Both in terms of popularity, and also musically. The previous five years had seen THE ENID gradually build a large and dedicated following of fans, and released 3 classic instrumental symphonic progressive rock albums.

The band's record company at the time, PYE, had decided to have one of these concerts recorded for possible commercial release later. Duly video company Trillion were in place for the Friday 2nd March with five cameras to capture the "event" that was an ENID concert at the time. Unfortunately PYE ( which was in financial difficulties the time ) changed its mind about the video release and had all the tapes wiped. Everyone thought it had been lost forever. Then miraculously a couple of years ago, the former ENID guitarist Francis Lickerish discovered ,with the audio recordings, a VHS tape copy of a rough video mix of the concert made on the night. The 30 year old video footage was then transferred to DVD and re-dubbed with the accompanying audio.

Given the original source material, there are many technical problems with the DVD. Firstly is the picture quality which is very soft with not too much detail. Also there are numerous drop-outs, glitches, and tracking errors visible on the screen throughout the show, Occasionally ( as on "Dam Busters/Land of Hope and Glory" ) the video is slightly out of sync with the soundtrack. Unfortunately the video mixing only seems to use 3 of the 5 cameras used that night, the two hand-held cameras on stage, and one at the back of the theatre. It is clear that the visual mixing was performed by someone who did not know THE ENID's show before hand, because they often cut to a musician who has just finished playing or has yet to start. In terms of performer coverage the keyboardists Godfrey and Gilmour and drummer Storey are well catered for, Whereas the guitarists Lickerish, Stewart, and Pack only make occasional distant appearances. Regretfully the video is also incomplete, "Albion Fair" and Francis Lickerish's spoken introduction to "Fand" are missing ( probably due to changing the tapes on the video machines )

Yet despite all the technical drawbacks once you start to watch the concert you are quickly swept up in the joyous, celebratory, mood of the night. Starting with the flag waving of the National Anthem, to the "Last night of the Proms" style finale there is much to enjoy. Throughout the evening we are presented with track after track of classic instrumental symphonic progressive rock played to a very high standard. One aspect of THE ENID's performance that the DVD really highlights is the extraordinary keyboard set-up that they use. At times six limbs can be seen pirouetting in a carefully choreographed dance over a wall of synthesisers and keyboards. Sometimes three hands playing the same keyboard, then in an instant one would change the synthesiser setting just before someone else would start playing it. On the whole the result is fascinating and a marvel to behold. Apart from the "serious" instrumental tracks the "wackier" side of THE ENID's repertoire is also covered. Firstly with Dave Storey's bizarre version of "Summer Holiday" performed as a percussion solo! Followed by Robert John Godfrey's near legendary performance ( you can't call it singing ) of "Wild Thing" as an encore.

All in all, this an essential purchase for any fan of THE ENID, doubly so because it is only known footage of the classic line-up of the band from the seventies. For that reason I am giving it four stars.

From The Enid's website

"The so called "Liverpool Album" was specially pressed (800 pieces) and given away to members of the audience who attended a famous Enid concert in Liverpool in the 1980's.

Contrary to a common myth, this is not a live album of that concert. It is a compilation album of studio tracks taken from Something Wicked this Way Comes, The Spell and Salome. The Liverpool Album also has a recording of Nimrod especially made for inclusion on this anthology.

This version was played and recorded in front of a small audience of friends and fans shortly before the show in Liverpool took place. The aplause, which was removed from the orginal vinyl production, has been left on."

Well, my review. It's an excellently produced CD, with an interpretative delicacy and excellent composition. A CD of warm and quiet song (very quiet, perhaps too much).

This CD is away from the classic concept of Enid. That is, if we expect to find a mix of Jean Sibelius and "Barclay James Harvest" will not meet expectations. Rather reminds the works of Alan Parsons (the betters).

In short: Quiet music for troubled times.

Important: Can be downloaded for FREE from the website of The Enid