Edenbridge – The Bonding

Edenbridge- The Bonding

Edenbridge are a hard band to talk about. I am not bothered that they are immensely cheesy at times, no, what I am talking about is their inconsistency. I think their ability started to show signs of progress at Shine, and peaked at MyEarthDream (or MED for short). MED was a very well written album; beautiful symphonic passages, well written guitar elements, and Sabine’s voice was flawless.

Sadly the follow-up, in my eyes, was pretty dire. A shame, as I’ve been a fan of the band for so long and I really tried to like Solitaire album…I *really* tried. I just couldn’t like it though (but I’ll do a review on that to explain why later). So when I heard that Edenbridge were doing another album and bringing back a full orchestra and choir I was extremely excited – as that was what I thought let down their previous album the most.

The opening track at first wasn’t the most exciting – it seemed like it could come from any Edenbridge album and wasn’t of any real progression. About half-way through, however, it develops into a style more akin to their style in Shine and MED. I said to myself, “Finally…they are back!”

The next track is just a very typical Edenbridge single. There is literally nothing unique here (though the lyrics are, as usual, a cheesecake – good despite the fatty cheese). Surprisingly, however, the following track opens with a beautiful orchestral section (if that hasn’t given it away, it’s a ballad). This song has very beautiful orchestration and is perhaps one of the best ballads Edenbridge have ever produced – good show chaps!

The Invisible Force shows where the album is trying to go most however. With it’s edgy intro, and chasing string and brass sections. This song is, however, still very Edenbridge. You won’t be surprised at what you are hearing for the most part – though there are nice background choirs in this song that are a welcome addition to the sound. This song could’ve easily have come off MED, and it’s a very enjoyable listen and one of the albums highlights.

The next track is another pop-style ballad…if you enjoy it, you’ll enjoy it. That’s all I have to say on the matter. This is followed by a track that also opens with a ballad style – but don’t let that fool you. This is slower but I wouldn’t call it a ballad; it reminds me of their sound on Shine if anything and that’s a welcome return. However it is followed by a song that sounds like a B-side to MED or even Solitaire to be honest, and yet *another* ballad (and this one really isn’t that unique, sadly).

Finally is the song that everyone remembers. I’ve seen various comments on Last.fm, youtube, and other sites saying that it’s almost like Edenbridge focused on this song and then though “oh dear, we need to write the rest of the album too!” Make no mistake, this is the highlight of the album. It’s extremely well written and easily matches the title track on MED. I don’t really want to spoil your listen of the album by deconstructing it here – just rest assured you’re in for a treat (and compared to the rest of the album it’s a surprise too).

Overall I think this album tries to mix the less-orchestral approach of Solitaire with MED and falls short. Edenbridge – you are AMAZING at orchestral pieces, please just embrace it. Remember Me was the perfect example of your pop-symphonic awesomeness, can we have more of these instead of constant ballads?

My rating for the album is as follows :