Enbound ~ And She Says Gold

Enbound
And She Says Gold
2011

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Isn't it awesome to look under a bottle cap and find that you won another free soda? Isn't it awesome to find a $5 bill wedged into your car seat? When it comes to music, isn't it great to find a band that is more than what they seem to be when you first press play? These are all rhetorical questions, because your answer to all should be yes. Funny though, this last question applies directly to this situation. Enbound is such a band and their debut release, And She Says Gold, is where I was ecstatic to find such a diverse musical treasure.

My initial impression of the band was that they had a nice dose of power metal similar to Lost Horizon and Avantasia, and that they mixed this nicely with the melodic thrash of Megadeth. Overall, I think this might be accurate, but just about every song has little gems within them that make them more than a typical metal band. Many song elements and passages are not metal at all and span multiple genres. This is especially obvious on their ballads, which are so far removed from metal that I can only think of them as alternative indie pop. Take everything that I have begun to describe, mix it together, and what you get is a unique, refreshing, and ballsy release.

Don't get me wrong, And She Says Gold is full of what you want from your power metal with its dual guitar attack and thundering rhythm section, but it is enhanced well outside of the genre norms. "Combined the Souls", the single and lead-off song, is a great Northern European power metal anthem, but "Love Has Come" is probably my favorite song because the introduction was a stereophonic treat for me on the headphones, while the bridge of the song moves into Trans-Siberian Orchestra territory. The ballads "Frozen To Be" and "The Broken Heart", as I mentioned earlier, are not even remotely metal. However, they fit seamlessly with the rest of songs on this release. The last track on the album is a hidden treasure that is a cover song, and I won't reveal what it is because you just have to hear it for yourself (it is done so well, and it's the icing on the musical cake).

All of the acclamations I have about this album might fall onto deaf ears and the little nuances could go overlooked and be treated as standard metal fare. However, I really think the true enjoyment of Enbound's sound will come if you take just a wee bit of time and pay attention to the song craft that is featured on And She Says Gold. If you do, I can almost guarantee that you will love this complex gem.

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Live Long and Rock Hard,
SpaceKev


Space Kev's Rating: 9 out of 10