The San Francisco Bay area has produced some notable bands over the years from Green Day to Metallica. Now after a 10 year hiatus comes another, progressive rockers Enchant.
They have been compared to fellow Amercian prog rock bands like Dream Theater and Kansas. The current band line-up includes:
Ted Leonard – vocals & guitar
Doug Ott – guitars & vocals
Ed Platt – bass
Bill Jenkins – keyboards
Sean Flanegan- Drums
During their absence from recording Ted Leonard became the lead singer for another American prog rock band, Spock’s Beard. Fast forward to 2014 and here comes Enchant‘s first release in 10 years, “The Great Divide.” If you’re counting, it’s their 8th studio album. The first track premiered from that release is the one that I’ll comment on here, “Within An Inch.”
From it’s opening dissonant guitar riff to the heavy bass line that is most represented by purveyors of the prog-metal scene, this track rocks! The lead vocals showcase Leonard’s range from his full power down to a whisper. The chorus includes the introspective lyrics; “Can you hear me? Can you help me? Can you hear me? Feels like I’m dying…”
This track features an instrumental synthesizer solo worthy of some of the best you’ll hear in this genre. It’s soon followed by some reflective piano and then the soaring lead guitar of Douglas Ott. Ott commented on the creative influence behind the lyrics, “It’s about coming as close to death as possible without dying. I was in a horrible accident when I was 20 years old… This is about that experience.”
It would seem the years have treated these musician’s well. “Within An Inch” delivers the sophisticated instrumental skill we’ve come to expect from progressive rock with relatable, emotional vocals. On the band’s return after that 10 year hiatus guitarist Ott offers these words; “We’re very excited and proud of this endeavor. It’s classic Enchant, but with a bunch of new twists and turns. It’s been a long time in the making, but it’s surely worth the wait.” I agree wholeheartedly and hope you will too. Check out “Within An Inch” below. No video included, just pure American progressive rock. And as their name symbolizes, may it fill you with great delight!
pluggedin2progressiverock 