Search - Edenbridge :: Grand Design

"We only follow a line/Our life is part of the Grand Design"

rocksnstars | Tolland, CT United States | 04/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I can hear some of you saying "Oh no, not another female fronted Gothic group." I say the more the merrier! They are not quite equal to the likes of After Forever or the old Nightwish, but they are darn good. Sabine has a beautiful voice, strong but not quite operatic. (I'm thinking she should drop that last name, Edelsbacher, and just go with Sabine.) The instrumentals, lyrics, melodies and backing vocals are also good here. They name their music "Angelic Bombastic Metal" and I would not argue with that.



As you can tell from my title, which is from the title track, the grand design is human life. The first song, Terra Nova, covers the birth of a child and expresses all the associated hopes and fears ("Dust and dreams, fall or shine/Welcome to the world/The grand design). Track two, Flame of Passion, refers to the passion of youth ("So put a spoke in the wheels of fate"). Evermore concerns the passion for a specific person ("Stay - make my heart sway/And light my way), while The Most Beautiful Place, a beautiful piano-backed ballad, expresses the soul's yearning to return to that place called home. See You Fading Afar reflects on problems in life ("The lonely wind has turned into a squall"), maybe specifically a personal relationship. On Top of the World tells of the positive things that can happen when a person takes control of their life ("See how the land lies/Welcome the sunrise). Then in complete contrast, Taken Away, another ballad, reflects on the sadness of a loved one's death ("The darkest hour of day/When you are finally gone/And taken away"). I don't know about you, but as I rapidly approach 60, I can easily identify with all these basic life themes.



Then finally, The Grand Design talks of life in the world in general and all its problems, but also offers that we have the power to make it better. Following this, there are two "bonus tracks" but the first is a thought provoking instrumental, basically featuring a single electric guitar, which I think provides an excellent closing for the previous eight tracks and could be considered part of the concept. On the other hand, they could have skipped For Your Eyes Only. (Please see my profile for a brief discussion of my rating philosophy.)"

Got What I Paid For

Fred Rayworth | Las Vegas, NV United States | 05/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lately, I've been looking for female fronted metal bands as I've grown tired of the clean and harsh male vocal style that seems to be dominating the metal scene. There is just something about female vocals in metal that really works (most of the time, anyway). Edenbridge fits the bill.



I've heard all the comparisons to Nightwish, but to me, Edenbridge is more guitar oriented where Nightwish is more keyboard oriented. Sabine's vocals don't sound anything like Tarja, but since Anette took over vocals for Nightwish, I can see a stronger resemblance, but only superficially.



This is really good music. No doubt about it. I particularly like the opening track, and On Top Of The World. I thought it was a little odd having the James Bond theme, For Your Eyes Only as a bonus track, but it does not detract from the rest of the album.



Instrumentally, as I said earlier, it is very guitar oriented. All instruments, including a few odd ones, are all capably done. Lanvall is not only an excellent instrumentalist, but also a great composer. He has an intriguing vision that keeps me glued to the CD player.



This music is a bit metal, a bit pop, and all with a symphonic influence. Highly recommended.

"

Addicting, Original, Fantastic, Immaculate, Majestic

D. Crain | NJ United States | 10/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This band has hit their stride. I simply LOVE this album. Sabine has never sounded better, and Lanvall has done a splendid job of assembling the music and words. Production is perfect. There are no growls, no ridiculous hammering double bass drum, no cliche euro prog/goth metal noise, just pure, terrific, melodious music.



This is a recording of music, not thrash or anger. There is no selling out on this album, it is all original, all melodic, all rich and rewarding.



I could write something about every song, but why bother, just buy this great recording and hear for yourself."