Hailing from Austria, Edenbridge return with another epic slice of symphonic power metal in the guise of “My Earth Dream” which will send fans of the genre into raptures of applause but due to the nature of the music may leave lovers of others genre’s a little cold.  I am somewhere in between and feel this album is one of the best ones released lately in this very active genre , yet also being my first taste of Edenbridge.   A quick overview of the band saw them form in 2000 and build up quite a reputation in power metal circles with frequent touring and a very quoiick turnaround of albums, for a full bio see the bands official website. Onto the music…

“My Earth Dream” opens with “The Force Within”, a brief instrumental opener which sets the tone for the rest of the album to follow, epic and full of bombast with orchestral power adding even more depth; the track segues into “Shadowplay” which is a cracking slice of power metal with juicy riffs, sumptuous vocals with the orchestral edge adding even more “aura” to the proceedings.  What makes all the difference with the orchestral touches here is Edenbridge have gone all out and utilised a real orchestra in the guise of the Czech Film Orchestra and this can be heard has a step above the often overused orchestra samples of their genre compatriots. Vocals come in the guise of the female lungs of Sabine Edelsbacher who has a strong voice with an excellent range and pitch, yet carries a slight accent but to no detriment of the music.  “Remember Me” sees 7 string guitar, piano and orchestra combine nicely again and the production really shines here, with an excellent mix and good crisp balance between all instruments and vocals – kudos to Lanvall (composer, guitarist, keyboardist) for the production along with Karl Groom who mixed the album and Mika Jussila who mastered the album at the legendary Finnvox studio. “Paramount” brings some modern samples into the mix and the track is home to a killer chorus.  “Adamantine” takes a strong riff and throws an eastern slant to the proceedings coming out a little Symphony X at times and it’s another strong track although the slow guitar solo highlights the shortcomings in Lanvall’s guitar vibrato being out of time and tune and on a par with that of Axel Rudi Pell or Kirk Hammett - eek, that said on fast picked passages the guy is pretty much flawless and super clean and his rhythm work is A1.  “Whale Rider” sees more orchestration creating the backdrop for this delicate ballad and it’s a nice rest bite before the slowish yet heavy “Undying Devotion”, yet this track comes across as very clichéd within the genre lacking the individuality heard in previous tracks.  Luckily the balance is restored for the excellent “Fallen From Grace” which sees some nice time signature changes and a couple of strong riffs.  “Place Of Higher Power” starts out almost like an out-take from Malmsteen’s “Trilogy” album i.e. bombastic riff, and strong keyboard presence before heading into more original waters for the restraint verse, the tracks builds nicely from here and comes out as a highlight. The 12 minute epic “My Earth Dream” closes the album in a bid for overall glory and just about achieves its aim.  Throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the songs arrangement this is like a minitake on what the the band are all about, fortunately it also highlights how good the band can be and is captivating for its entire duration.

Overall this is a strong power metal album.  The band obviously has a clear idea of what the Edenbridge sound is and they do manage to break away from the shackles of the genre on nearly all songs. The playing is mostly excellent (guitar vibrato issues aside), production spot on, cover suitably epic and this has certainly stirred my interest into checking out the bands catalogue.  Metal fans of all genres check this one out and be suitably impressed as well.