"wow, with each album they keep improving and getting better if that is possible!!!! The last album Blink of an Eye was amazing and featured the new drummer Sean Flanegan, he seems to find his own on this album and is truly spectatcular. Blink saw no keyboardist for the band and had a friend sit in on keys and was great, the new full time keyboardist is Bill Jenkins and is incredible.If you are new to Enchant, they can be described as a hard rock melodic progressive band, not metal, not full out prog, just great stuff. Influences to my ears are Kansas, especially in the vocal department, Ted has just an amazing set of pipes, wow!!!! Other influences to me are Rush and Marillion.It is hard to go song by song but Sinking Sand is a great hard rock tune with vocals to the heavens, probably next to Under Fire on the Blink album, Sinking Sand is the best Enchant album opener. The second track, Tug of War is a great hard tune again and the album continues to rock. Beautiful is all that, a beautiful tune that should be played on radio but not your typical crappy ballad, just great!!!In closing, after 5 listens, song by song, this is the strongest Enchant album with no weak points, after seven albums, don"t know why they are almost unheard of, they have to be thee best hard rock melodic prog band out today. After this, get Blink of an Eye and Juggling. You will thank me, trust me, just great"
The best unknown band around
L. McBride | Disco Bay Calif. | 01/05/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was given a copy of ToW by Mr. Doug Ott himself. I am a huge Rush fan, and was a little apprehensive of this band I had never heard of. I popped it in the cd player on the way home from a late night gig. The first guitar chords woke me up like a jolt of strong coffee. Wow...these guys are absolutley amazing. Doug's guitar work is incredible. Ed's bass work rivals Geddy Lee imho. When I first heard Ted sing, I thought it was Kansas. My personal favorite is the title track. The opening guitar riffs are reminiscent of alot of 90's grunge bands..raw and full of emotion. It builds into a full blown rampage of power. The message of the song is driven home. The rest of the album is pure Prog, with the exception of Beautiful, which pays homage to Doug's beautiful wife. I am a huge Enchant fan now, and I will soon own the entire catalog! A no risk purchase for sure"
Enchanted Rope Burns....
MusicFan | Long Island, NY | 08/30/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Having been an Enchant fan for the past few years, I am dissapointed to say that this one falls short of what I expected. The excellent musicianship is still there, it jsut lacks the great melodies that Enchant is known for. Some exceptions are "Living in a Movie", "Long Way Down", and "Comatose"..There is also a great instramental appropriately named "Progtology"...New fans might enjoy, I just expected MORE....This CD was produced in less than 1 year, and it sounds rushed (no pun intended!)."
Incredible! Get this CD!!!
Mare Thomas | Lutherville, MD United States | 08/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First off, I am a big fan of this Bay Area band, and have long thought these guys were incredibly talented. Now though, I can safely say now that Tug of War is the finest CD Enchant has put out. Lush melodies, rich harmonies, killer arrangements --- what's not to like?? Overall, this is a 10/10! This CD manages to take each one member of the band and showcase him...Ted's vocals are amazing -- strongest he's ever been...Doug kicks (...) on that guitar....Bill's keys soar....Sean's drums groove...and Ed is all over the bass - tapping and thumping. LOVE all that bass! Killer tracks are Sinking Sand, Tug of War, Progtology, and Comatose (if this one doesn't touch your heart and/or soul you really need to check your pulse!) Tug of War is a whirlwind of music, reality, and emotion that is so tough to find these days! Prog, prog rock, and prog metal fans alike will go for this CD in a big way! And go for the Limited Edition - you get a live cut from 2002's NEARFest and a very cool booklet, with some wonderful liner notes to take you even farther into this music! Get it! Listen, love it! Then pick up their OTHER six CD's !!! This is a band you want to know!"
Enchanting
Tim Izatt | Herriman, Utah | 08/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I discovered Enchant by chance when I happend upon a copy of their second CD entitled "Wounded"; I have since bought the entire catalog. With each release these guys blow me away. I thought nothing could top "Blink Of An Eye", I literally wore that CD out! But, "Tug Of War" is one word, INCREDIBLE!The CD is incredibly diverse. It is progressive without being pretentious, catchy without being repetiticious and boring. Ted Leonard has incredible range and shows that someone who can "really sing" is still out there. Ed Platt's bass work is brilliant and when combined with the thrilling guitar work of Doug Ott, the bombastic drumming of Sean Flanegan and the infusion of keyboard wizard, Bill Jenkins it is truly "wonderful, sublime it's magical, divine, it's BEAUTIFUL".Now for the songs, and I will be brief....they are all incredible!!! To say one is better than the other would be unfair to the song and it's message. These song are like good books, they mean something unique to each listener. The music paints it's own cavas for everyone and the lyrical content of each song can absolutely floor you depending on the things you have experienced in your life. It is rare indeed to hear lyrics that are both positive and hopeful yet sobering and real. And, Enchant does this and is still able to weave masterful riffs, hooks, melodies and song structures that make the listener long for the next release from this wonderful band. I will say that my personal favorites are "Speak No Evil" and "Beautiful" perhaps because of my own life experiences.Please go out and buy this CD so Enchant can continue to fill my living room with it's unique sound for many years to come.I would give this CD more stars if the damn pull down would let me!"