edenbonding1I do like a lot of the female fronted metal, from Trail Of Tears or Tristania to Kingfisher Sky or Within Temptation and plenty in between, but I don’t actually own any albums by Edenbridge. I’ve heard just about every release they have put out in their 12-ish year career, but I’ve never liked them enough to actually keep any that I have bought or borrowed.

Why?

I ask myself this every time I hear that Edenbridge have a new album due out. I always remember that singer Sabine has a note-perfect voice and that the music is symphonic melodic metal played by consummate professionals and every single time I think that I SHOULD like Edenbridge, but can’t remember why I don’t.

Then I hear it.

Oh yes, that was it. And from a personal point of view it’s still there on this new album. “It” for me is probably what makes Edenbridge stand out and appeal to their many fans around the globe. They are instantly recognisable because of “It”. But what is “It”? As mentioned earlier, Sabine has a really nice voice…REALLY Nice. It’s understated, sweet, pretty and…nice. It does not sit particularly well against a crunching guitar riff and pounding drums. It just sounds a bit wrong. That’s only half of the problem though. Obviously her voice is much more tailored to a classy orchestral ballad, but what do we get? Some of the most saccharin-filled pits of slushiness that wouldn’t be out of place on a Night Ranger or Journey album. I like the odd ballad on an album, it gives it an extra dimension, but Edenbridge always seem to hit that Disney type lion-cub-held-up-to-the-sky area of yukkiness that just makes everything else on the album sound forced and unnatural. And this album comes with an absolute prime example to prove my point. Usually with Edenbridge it’s the heavy Symphonic opener and the obligatory third track ballad (as it is with this album…again), but also this time we have two tracks back-to-back. We have one of Edenbridge’s heaviest ever songs, the bombastic, double-kick driven, shredding riff-laden ‘Shadows Of My Memory’, complete with grunts from their new bassist – a track that might work for Epica…but not for Edenbridge. They then follow that with ‘Death Is Not The End’. Lyrically heart-felt I’m sure, but from the first note it is an utterly wet, insipid, toe-curling bout of fluffiness that just leaves me looking like I’m chewing my own ear wax. Which is probably preferable than having to sit through the entire song.

Yet people seem to love Edenbridge for this. There’s nothing wrong with blending and juxtaposing styles within an album, but when Edenbridge do it, they just seem to take it too far for me on the ballads, rendering their heavier songs generic and rather false sounding. Edenbridge have always had undeniable musical talent, but personally I feel they are still lacking in the song-writing department. If you already like Edenbridge, I’m sorry if this review seems a little harsh, it’s just personal opinion after all and I’m sure “The Bonding” won’t disappoint existing fans.

(4/10 – Andy Barker)

http://www.edenbridge.org