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Enchant Tug Of War Review by Greg Olma I just recently discovered Enchant. How they have been able to fly under my prog radar for so many years, I'll never know. There are very few bands that are able to take their influences and create something new instead of regurgitating the same music back. Enchant is one of those bands. They have taken elements of Rush, Dream Theater, and Marillion, and rolled that into a style all their own. Tug Of War adds in a commercial slant to make this their most accessible disc to date. Like Rush, Enchant continue to grow and stretch the music in different direction to make each album unique. For those of you who like their prog rock a bit less prog and a bit more rock, I wholeheartedly recommend this album. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2006 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Sinking Sand The album starts off with a rock song that mixes in progressive elements similar to Marillion. Doug Ott adds a great guitar solo in the middle and end of the piece. He possesses the same sense of melody as David Gilmour and Steve Rothery. Ted Leonard also shines throughout this number with a great vocal performance.

Tug of War This cut starts off with an almost Black Sabbath riff. Keyboards add a commercial edge to a song that would have been a hard rocker of a track.

Hold The Wind The Yes influences come to the forefront on this tune. The chorus is heavy but the verses owe a lot to Yes. The guitar solo sounds a bit like Alex Lifeson circa 1981 but then a keyboard solo adds more of that Yes sound. It's not a rip off as much as it is a tip of the hat to the bands that came before.

Beautiful This is a ballad that does not sound sappy. If given the right promotion, this could be a big hit. It is mainly a keyboard song but guitars have been added to give it muscle.

Queen Of The Informed Musically and lyrically, this could have come from Dream Theater's Images And Words. It is one of the heavier songs on this disk but it has all of those great prog elements like time changes and different parts. You hardly notice that this cut is 7 minutes long. This is the best track on the disc.

Living in a Movie The best way to describe this track is light and shade. The verse is very moody in a Pink Floyd type of way but the chorus is heavy. Also, listen to the lyrics. They are so over the top that you will find yourself smiling at what a bad time the character is having.

Long Way Down This cut could have been another hit off this record. It is not one of the rockers on offer here but it moves along nicely.

See No Evil The booklet mentions that John Mayer is a comparison for this track. That is fairly accurate but there is a lot more going on in this cut. I guess if John Mayer tried his hand at progressive music, then maybe it would sound something like this.

Progtology The Yes influences come in again. This instrumental is all prog like the name would suggest. Bill Jenkins really shines on this one. Doug Ott also sticks in some great guitar work but this is mainly a keyboard song. At around the 5 minute mark, this track starts to resemble Rush's "YYZ."

Comatose This one reminds me of Dream Theater's "Wait For Sleep" but while that song ends just where it began, "Comatose" builds into a moody rock song. Doug sneaks in some more Marillion in the guitar solo. This is a great example of a band that can take their influences and make something new from them.

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