On disc: Edenbridge

 
 ...Sunrise In Eden....
 
- Amir Djawadi -
 
 


 
 ...Sunrise In Eden....
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Arcana
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Solitaire
 
- Mike Thompson -
 
 

Solitaire

(Napalm Records – 2010)
 - 2010)



 
 

 

Edenbridge have for a while now been one of my favorite bands of the female-fronted symphonic metal style. Throughout their twelve year career they have remained very consistent, releasing six very strong albums, most recently the stunning MyEarthDream. So it is that we come to Edenbridge's seventh album, entitled Solitaire; an album that has been highly anticipated by fans.

Sabine Edelsbacher's voice once again shines on this album. It is a beautiful sound backed up by well-written symphonic parts which lend Solitaire a very majestic air. The guitars give a deep, crunching feel and give the album some degree of heaviness. Still, they are most noticeable during some of the fantastic solos on display in this album such as in Out of This World.

Despite the quality on display here I have to admit I was expecting something 'more'. In my opinion this is the weakest Edenbridge album I have heard so far. The songs are all listenable and there are moments in which the band really shines but overall I don't feel that this is an album that stands out from the myriad other bands playing in this style. It is a solid album that I will be listening to again, no doubt about that, and it will appeal to fans of this style of music but at the end of the day it is nothing more than exactly what you would expect from a female-fronted symphonic metal band.
 
 










Mike Thompson


  
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Arcana

(Massacre Records - 2001)



 
 

 

Some may see Edenbridge as copycats of the famous Finnish Nightwish, but the Austrian quintet started back in 1998, even if their debut was released in 2000. They are more melodic metal with progressive elements, but the voice of singer Sabine Edelsbacher is which get them the comparison with Nightwish. The track The Palace might represent the band best, it has all the elements of their music... There are grooving parts, melodic guitar parts, progressive elements and the angel-like vocals of Sabine who shows emotions. This time the songs are more complex and need more than just one spin to discover all the details. But they have a another, more emotional side which the songs A Moment Of Time shows which is a slow bombastic ballad where the music is reduced to a minimum of bombast and the vocals gives the track the beauty. Susperia is one of their faster track which has musical similarities to Nightwish, but mostly it's just the voice of Sabine who has in my opinion the advantage that she sound more emotional then Tarja. Personally I think that Edenbridge offer a larger variety, even this album isn't the huge step forward some might have expected. But isn't the debut the easiest to do, coz there is no pressure and you have all the time in the world for song writing? The follow up has to proof the quality, coz there is a certain pressure and a limited time. The title track is proofing their talent and if they keep doing what they doing, they will soon leave the comparisons behind. Btw, there is a double vinyl of Arcana available. A decent album and worth to give it a try!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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...Sunrise In Eden...

(Massacre Records - 2000)



 
 

 

Austria isn't a typical country for the origin of a European metal band, but this time they proof us wrong. The band we'll talk about is called Edenbridge and comes from Linz. They name their musical style Angelic Bombast Metal (my compliment, I never heard about that genre before!). So, what to expect?!?

The most obvious element of the quartet's music is the vocal part, the voice of singer Sabine Edelsbacher. Her graceful voice leads their compositions into the auditory organ of the listener. For the guitar riffing and the harmonic, filigree solos Lanvall is responsible who also founded the band in 1998. On bass it's Kurt Bednarsky and on drums Roland Navratil who is responsible for the rhythm during the sensible ballads as well as very powerful with double bass attacks on faster tracks.

The album was recorded at the Seagull Music Studio and for the mix Pink Cream 69 bassist Dennis Ward is responsible. And so they offer 9 tracks with more than 50 minutes of music. The opener Cheyenne Spirit is a strong track with a lot of catchiness. Also the title track Sunrise In Eden is well done, actually this is a homogenous album and so I don't want to talk about particular songs.

The songs offer interesting tempi changes and gives the complete opus a spirit which put the listener under a spell. The fantastic performance of singer Sabine Edelsbacher and the great musical performance of the 3 other band members make listening joyful. Have I mentioned before that this is a debut album?!? No, shame on me, but this give high hopes for more musical delicacy from the Austrians.

If the Austrians are a good live act (which I expect), we will know later this year when they'll tour with Axxis and Pink Cream 69 in Germany. A very promising package, so don't wait too long to get your ticket! I would bet that some shows will be sold-out, so that you might not get the chance to see them.... Melodic metal at it's best !!!!!!!!!
 
 










Amir Djawadi
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)

  
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...Sunrise In Eden...

(Massacre Records - 2000)



 
 

 

Edenbridge is a young band from Austria which was founded in 1998 by gitarist Lanvall. In the past Lanvall release 3 solo albums through WMMS and also in Japan. When he found Sabine Edelsbacher and bassist Kurt Bednarsky the basis for Edenbridge was founded. Soon a drummer was found and the band recorded in summer of 99 the debut at Gandalfs Seagull Music Studios. The first demos been sent out to several labels. Massacre Records made the best offer and the Austrians signed the dotted line. The recordings been remixed by Dennis Ward and released as Sunrise In Eden in spring of 2000. Musically the band reminds a little bit of Nightwish.... Sabine's voice is silimar to Tarja's, but without the 'opera' style, so it's sounds more emotional! The songs cover a large variety from faster epic songs, slow emotional ones and ballades. An outstanding debut... Personally I prefer to listen to Edenbridge rather than to Nightwish......
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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