Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Edenbridge - The Grand Design (2006)
Within a Sunrise in Eden, a Cheyenne Spirit Forever Shines On in Holy Fire. She flies with Wings of the Wind in the Rainy Midnight at Noon, pleading "Take Me Back to My Last Step Beyond!" Ascending in Starlight Reverie from The Palace in a Moment of Time, she will Fly on a Rainbow Dream and Color the Sky with Velvet Eyes of Dawn. The Whisper of the Ages flows into the Light of Suspiria through the Winter Winds of Arcana. The Undiscovered Land can be found Skyward before The Final Curtain of Perennial Dreams. She will Fly at Higher Game As Far as Eyes Can See beyond the Whispering Gallery on the Verge of Infinity. A Deadend Fire can be found Farpoint Anywhere Where Silence Has Lease under the Red Ball in Blue Sky. Maybe she will Shine and Move Along Home as a Centennial Legend. However, after a Wild Chase, the Road Goes On with What she'll Leave Behind Elsewhere. Under the October Sky is the Canterville Prophecy and Ghost on Sacred Anthemic Ground. Terra Nova conjures a Flame of Passion Evermore in the Most Beautiful Place. However, she is Seen Fading Afar from the Top of the World before being Taken Away in the Grand Design. The tale of the Empire of the Sun is for Your Eyes Only as Thin Red Lines make Images in the Sand at the Silent Wake.
Whew! What a story I made, based on all the song titles in the first 5 Edenbridge albums including this one. A solid tale of fantasy to balance out with the boring reality of what really happened. The truth is, Edenbridge formed in 1998 in Austria, named after a Formula 3000 racing team. They made the goal to board the female-fronted metal train alongside their more popular peers in Nightwish, early Dark Moor, and Within Temptation. They made their solid start with their first two albums Sunrise in Eden and Arcana, took a small dip in quality in Aphelion, then went back up high in Shine. In 2006, the band kept up their higher game in The Grand Design. It's a grand near-perfect masterpiece. Recording took place in several different studios across Europe; in their homeland of Austria, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. A few different studio visits in different countries come with a few guest musicians joining in, including Dennis Ward and Robby Valentine providing background choir vocals. The other guests would each have their own chance to shine in a different singular track. And the beautiful cover art was made by Thomas Ewerhard.
"Terra Nova" is a beautiful opening highlight of hopes and dreams. Karl Groom (founding guitarist of Threshold and known for contributing to bands like DragonForce) adds in his own guitar solo. "Flame of Passion" has more of a gothic-ish symphonic metal sound to remind some of Tristania at that time. Soft acoustic verses with the serene singing of Sabine Edelsbacher come in, as she sings "It never rains, but it pours". The chorus is catchy and pretty in its midtempo pace. I enjoy the melodic soloing. And the song ends with a literal bang of a firework. "Evermore" is another beautiful shining highlight, released as a single. Next track, "The Most Beautiful Place", touches your heart with a beautiful ballad consisting of just piano and Sabine's singing, "You are always inside, wherever I roam". Soft strings enter the second verse before a final chorus and ending literally on a high note from Sabine.
The guitars fade back in for "See You Fading Afar". The drums join in for fast pounding, only slowing down to let Sabine step in with her smooth vocals in the verses. Her harmonies rise over the background male vocals by Dennis Ward, similarly to D.C. Cooper's contribution to the Aphelion album, but never really upfront. The keys sound gothic in the bridge, fitting well with the guitar heaviness. Sabine's singing reaches a high climax in the chorus before everything stops except for the guitars that fade out. The guitars and vocals sound so bright and uplifting in "On Top of the World", which I prefer a lot more than that similarly titled Imagine Dragons (s)hit. The memorable chorus is so out of this world. "You'll be on top of the world!" Her vocals get isolated for a moment before some soloing. I never realized a "gothic" sound can sound so happy! The final chorus unleashes some male/female vocal harmonies, then after singing the song title one last time, the song ends right there. The next track "Taken Away" is another piano ballad, but dark gloom replaces the previous song's bright mood. Again, there's not much besides that piano and Sabine's singing. However, the chorus is quite strong, and we have Robby Valentine's background vocals. Then the soft piano floats by once more. Then we get to the title track, soaring through the majestic cosmos for over 10 minutes, and summarizing all this album has. Also, expect some acoustic strumming by Martin Mayr and violin by Astrid Stockhammer, Lanvall's young sister.
The Grand Design is the album with the most bonus tracks by far for the band, and you don't wanna miss out on the edition that has them all, starting with "Empire of the Sun". It's a guitar-focused instrumental track, a little long for an instrumental, at over 5 minutes in length. Then comes their awesome cover of Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only", the theme song for that James Bond film, keeping the relaxed ballad vibe without ever sounding lame. Their name is Bridge... EDENbridge. "Thin Red Line" has some of the progressive melody of Seventh Wonder. "The Silent Wake" is more mid-tempo, but it's like a blend of Firewind and Visions of Atlantis. "Images in the Sand" is a soft piano and strings outro to end the journey.
All in all, The Grand Design is a celestial melodic work of art. Sometimes it's great to take a break from reality and have a wonderful adventure through fantasy. With many memorable ideas, this album is an amazing well-done gem by these Austrian metal legends!
Favorites: "Terra Nova", "Evermore", "On Top of the World", "The Grand Design", "Empire of the Sun", "For Your Eyes Only", "The Silent Wake"