A BLUEPRINT OF THE WORLD

One of the best Enchant record. It's for sure the most prog of all of their albums. Ted Leonard's vocal is unique and the music is a cross between Rush and Marillion in the 80's (with some Dream Theater influence on the bass playing). The music is energetic and guitar sections are very close to Rothery's playing, but a little more 'virtuosic'. Lots of rythm shifts à la UK. All in all, this is a very good album and is highly recommended to every neo and metal prog.

ENCHANT ENCHANT....Ooooofff! First album"A Blueprint of the world" has a very special place with its IMAGINARY ATMOSPHERE! Different sound and a classical album. Supermasterpiece! Vocalist Ted Leonard has a very emotional voice and guitarist Douglas A. Ott very special for me. Because of the solos he makes are very original. "Catharsis","Acquaintance","Mae Dae (instrumental)","Enchanted" and "Nighttime Sky" have a very delicate emotionalism. "At Death's Door" (This song directly inspired from any one persons death.) "straining to beat this blur of tears swollen eyes beg for my dead friend reminiscing with a photograph" FEELS...FEELS...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

When this album was released, I thought wow this is a great album. And I still think so. Unfortunately, the more recent albums are less interesting to me (a progrock fan), but apparently the more progmetal-minded people do like the other albums much more. On "A blueprint..." its not only guitars that you hear, the keyboards are well present, too. Note the great drumming as well!

One of the best enchant albums, maybe the second best after the masterpiece TIME LOST, perhaps it should deserve the 5 star calification considering it as a debut album, it is fantastic from the beginning to the end. EMOTIONAL as all the other albums but, along with "Time Lost", the deepest one. If you haven´t listen to this band yet, please do yourself a favour and get any of their albums ("Break" is quite dissapointing) and you will travel to a different mind environment

This is simply a beautiful, timeless album. Most people have one problem with Enchant: On all their albums they managed to maintain a certain characteristic sound and never strayed far from it. As a result some people miss development and "progression". But I have no problem with that - their sound is fine. It's instantly recognizable, and instead of changing their sound, they focus on writing good songs.

Oasis: This track starts with a progressive guitar riff followed by a fast and complex section for the whole band. Combined with a laid back verse with interesting lyrics, this is a nice track.

Acquaintance: This is easily my most favorite Enchant track. It's incredibly sad and melancholic. It's about a couple who date and make out and everything, but eventually don't "connect". One of the most romantic songs that I know.

Mae Dae: Nice track, but not as remarkable as the others.

At Death's Door: Another classic Enchant track, a good mixture of sizzling progressive bits and interesting melodies.

East Of Eden: Now, this is rhythmically interesting: based on 5/8 they pull off some amazing polyrhythmic ambiguities ... but Enchant have a way of playing such parts with ease, so the listener doesn't realise the complexity if he's not "counting".

Nighttime Sky: Beautiful track, reminds me of The Police, especially the drums. Again, they do quite complex signature changes with ease.

Enchanted: This is the most popular Enchant song, but like Mae Dae, I don't think it's as good as the others on this album.

Open Eyes: Interesting song, similar to Nighttime Sky.

Well a few weeks ago some people asked me for reviewing the debut album from Enchant and I was not so excited about it, but I will try to be honest and give you my opinion:

first of all this is not prog nor a new progressive wave genre, but rather I should say it's a mix of mainstream music with the AOR genre (except on a few instrumental sections closer to such "modern progressive rock"), sometimes in the vein of a few commercial albums composed by Kansas, but without the same inspiration (do you remember the pretty work by Kansas entitled "In the Spirit of things"?...).Secondly consider the rhytmical section (above all their drumming) reminding us of Rush, and you might think it's an essential album: well the problem is connected with their lack of inspiration regarding the melodic lines and the Leonard's vocalism as well, with his slightish nasal voice. Anyway here you find some mid-length songs, averaging about seven minutes, not so complex ,also regarding of their poppy version (especially the track "Acquaintance" and "Enchanted",above all for their light lyrics) concerning a new prog style reminding us of the commercial stuff from Marillion (wtihin the period of "Cluctching at straws" for instance).The output regarding the whole album is a bit uneven, even though some instrumental bridges are intricate,being often characterized by a pleasing melodic style.Unfortunately the recording of the album sounds weak and its production in general as well, so talking about my rating you could erase an half star at least .

At the end it's a bit overrated album, suitable for the light moments of our day, but often pleasant !!

If I was only given two words that represent two extreme poles in progressive music, i.e. "complexity" at one pole and "melody" at the other pole, I would put "A Blueprint of the World" album "in the middle" between two poles. Having these two poles combined together, obviously there must be bands which are combination of "high or medium or low" complexity in their music with "strong or mediocre or weak" melody line. This album by Enchant has medium complexity and weak melody - that's why I call it as "in the middle". To put things into perspective I would give you an example of song with strong melody, ie. "Fly on A Windshield" by Genesis, "Heart of Lothian" by Marillion or "Junk and Donuts" by Citizen Cain. At album level I would say these ones can be considered as strong in melody: "Misplaced Childhood" by Marillion, "Ever" by IQ. On complexity I would consider these ones as complex album: "Tales From Topographic Ocean" by Yes, "The Music That Died Alone" by The Tangent or albums by Somnambulist.

As for "A Blueprint of the World", it offers some complexity in its composition (almost all songs) but they are not sufficiently backed up by good melody line. This does not mean that this is a bad album at all. I think the band has put their efforts making their arrangements in medium complexity through the domination of guitar fills and solo augmented with keyboard layers. Take the guitar solo at third track "Oasis" - no one would deny the virtuosity of the guitar player. You may call it stunning. But just take a deep breath and try to get a feel of melody this track offers - it's relatively weak and not easily accessible to many ears. And still in the corridor of guitar solo, I consider the ones demonstrated at track 6 "At Death's Door" and track 7 "East of Eden" are truly stunning in any dimension you would like to view it. But again, these two tracks fail to produce memorable melodies in any musical segment it offers.

This album is produced by three gentlemen. Five tracks are produced by Marillion's guitar player Steve Rothery and other five tracks by Paul A. Schmidt and Douglas A. Ott. On production and mixing issues I find something very annoying, i.e the drum sounds were mixed very poorly and the drum sounds really disturb the listening pleasure and corrupt the whole music stream.

I would qualify this album by Enchant for those of you who really want to explore neo progressive music. As this is the only Enchant album that I have, it's not wise to say about the band judging from tgis one album. My prog-mate down here, David, sent me countless messages to my cellular saying how good the other albums of Enchant. I might try listening other albums from his collection, later. For sure, I would not buy the CD until I'm sure the other albums are good. If you want to know the kind of music this album offers, imagine this is a JADIS-like music - even though Jadis has heavier guitar solo work by Gary Chandler. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Nominee for best debut album.

This is what I think, honestly: Enchant is sooo underated. From the first song you get the idea: these guys are serious. Every song has this quality, this eager to do things right from the start.

Do they hide their influences? Well, if you're a Rush fan, this is known ground. Craddick on drums is doing an especially good job, keeping the 'Peart' factor in the red zone. Ott on guitar is giving many 'Lifeson' hints here and there, and it's good to hear technique and melody together again. Platt on bass is rather shy this time, and Leonard of course, is the 'boy band' voice behind all this, but what a performance! An all-star team for sure, topping today's perhaps, since Craddick is giving a lot of writing in the band.

From all the Enchant albums I have (about 5), this is the most progressive one. With lots of songs 7 minutes and on, we have here a very, very solid staple of what intelligent art rock should be. With Juggling 9 or Dropping 10, this is my favorite. Where can you find catchy tunes, hook vocals and stunning drumming these days? Fans of high efficiency musicianship (a la Rush) will satisfy their sweet tooth and perhaps get a new musical crush?

Enchant delivers without being pretentious or being a clone.

Try it ASAP.

ENCHANT's debut album has a sound that reminds me of RUSH's "Power Windows". Steve Rothery the guitarist for MARILLION produced and mixed 5 of the 9 songs. Rothery was a mentor to Doug Ott the lead guitarist for ENCHANT and they actually trade licks in the outro of the song "Enchanted".

Speaking of Steve Rothery he's playing e-bow at the beginning of the opening song "The Thirst" and there is a flourish of keys before we hear the wondrous vocals of Ted Leonard. There is a Lifeson sounding guitar solo 4 minutes in that is really good. "Catharsis" is another pleasant song that gets better as it goes. "Oasis" is a little more aggressive with some good riffs, keyboard runs, and fast paced drumming. Nice ! There is a long tasteful guitar solo and the synths remind me of RUSH as well. "Acquaintance" is such a beautiful song especially the vocals and lyrics. I'm not usually into ballad-like songs but this one is amazing, and the background synths are a nice touch.

"Mae Dae" is a song they used to open their concerts with. It opens with haunting synths as the guitar comes in and builds. The drumming is incredible as this becomes an uptempo song with lots of synths. "At Deaths Door" is the one I like the least, it's ok though. "East Of Eden" has some good fat bass lines and great guitar melodies, especially 3 minutes in. The ending is fantastic ! "Nighttime Sky" is a beautiful song with meaningful lyrics. Love this one ! "Enchanted" is one of their most requested songs. With some RUSH sounding guitar solos and some more great vocals.The final song "Open Eyes" is an ok tune with synths and guitar dominating.

Just an excellent debut from the band and I really like "Acquainted","Nighttime Sky" and "Enchanted" the best.

The problem of reviewing first works is that you cannot distance yourself from all the things that followed. Well, in the case of Enchant a have a limited experience of their other works so it is a good time to judge this first record.

Their sound is close to DT melodic parts, Neo-Prog and some older art rock bands. It surely works fine for me. Great drumming, full solos, positive lyrics, Straightforward compositions with prog symphonic elements coming to surface. Melodic vocals that fit to the project with a familiar warm voice. It is definitely a promising first work. I don't know their history but they sound as if they played for years together.

The only problem is that after a few song you identify a pattern on the lyrics and the general structure of the songs. It has nothing to do with their style, it is typical for a new band and it's forgivable. Also some moments tend to be too corny. Maybe it needed a heavier production to point out the many changes of music and to stir things up. The musicians are well tuned but try too much to prove their talent that in few moments they loose their feeling. The album without being shallow, needed just a bit more passion, more strength. No one is perfect at the beginning. Regardless of this the whole record is excellent, almost perfect and will satisfy every fan of melodic prog.

As for the verdict, "Nighttime Sky" is the reason that I will give 4 stars to this rather than 3.5. That song goes beyond the whole package and totally lifts it higher. It has everything. Now, I should go further to Enchant's discography...

ENCHANT are one of the most consistent bands of modern progressive rock,formed in 1989 by guitarist Douglas Ott.Marillion's guitarist became aware of the talented band and helped them produce their first album ''A blueprint of the world'',while he even paricipates in a couple of songs.The album was recorded in UK and released in 1995.ENCHANT's debut is a great example of fresh,modern and melodic progressive rock,drawing influences from RUSH,KANSAS,MARILLION and you can throw in even some prog metal hints in the style of DREAM THEATER.Beautiful atmospheric keyboards,soaring guitars,great riffs and melodies,a fantastic vocalist and a strong rhythm section create a very positive image of ENCHANT's sound.Strongly recommended for fans of easy-listening,well-arranged yet intricate progressive rock!

Interessant debut from this american band... But maybe a bit overrated.

The first thing I miss every time I hear this album, is the lack of a true personality... Bits of Marillion and other neo-progressive bands, some AOR influences, and even Hard Rock elements... This is not a bad mixture, but in the end, the impression that this music gives is a constant lack of originality. Everything sounds right, the Rothery's production is clear and full of details. Good level for a debut... But in the end, the music is a little empty, and the songs aren't too different between them. This fact makes this album a little dull to listen in its integrity...

All the instruments sound well... It's difficult to say wich is better, all are good. Far from being spectacular, but very effective. Maybe the Ted Leonard's voice is over the rest... I love his singing. Very 80's influenced, but still good. His singing is soulful, and some high-pitched shouts are really great. Just hear the ending of Thirst... Marvellous!

Best songs: it's really difficult to say... All the songs are similar in style and quality. But maybe Thirst (good opening), Oasis (the best track on the album?) and Acquaintance (splendid ballad with beautiful lyrics) are a little bit over the rest. But the other songs aren't bad...

Conclusion: a good album, but nothing special in my opinion... Pleasant to listent to, sometimes funny, and good played. But the lack of originality and personality, along with the repetitive style of all the tracks, make this album a little boring to listen to... And sometimes is even difficult to differenciate and remember the tracks! They are very similar... This is the main handicap of this recommendable album if you like 80's melodic hard rock with some bits of progressive influences.

My rating: ***

In the forum there was a poll about Enchant where the best track ever by them was asked for. It struck me that many of the choices were tracks of this album. That's at least a little surprising because all their albums are very good and it's a tough call to choose between at least 50 very good songs. Another outcome was that it were many different tracks of this album, so not just Oasis (their overall chosen favourite ever) but also At death's door, Catharsis, Acquaintance and East of Eden.

On the other hand it's not that big of a surprise to me because I always considered this an album with at least 8 very strong songs. So apparently I am not the only one who believes that. My personal favourite is Nighttime Sky, an epic for Enchant standards and to me one of their very best ever. But I also like Oasis, Enchanted and Open Eyes a lot along with the already mentioned.

So that means a great overall performance, this album, which could mean that 5 stars is a possibility but I think that is a little overrated. Despite the fact I like almost every track, I don't think there are songs of the very highest category in my opinion. But of course it means that 4 is the least I can do, but in fact it's 4,5.

"A Blueprint Of The World" is the debut full-length studio album by US progressive rock/metal act Enchant. The album was originally released through Dream Circle Records in 1995 but the most available version is probably the 1997 InsideOut Music reissue.

The music on the album is soft edged/melodic progressive rock/metal with neo progressive rock leanings. Ted Leonard´s strong vocals and melodic vocal lines are the center of attention, but Douglas A Ott´s also gets his time in the spotlight with some really well played and melodic guitar soloing. It´s all accompagnied by an omnipresence of keyboards/synths played by Michael Benignus Geimer and a rather busy and accomplished rythm section in drummer Paul Craddick and bassist Ed Platt.

To my ears tracks like "The Thirst", "Catharsis" and "At Death's Door" have always stood as the strongest and most memorable tracks on "A Blueprint Of The World", but the instrumental "Mae Dae" also feature some beautiful parts. The rest of the tracks (maybe except for the rather cheesy sounding "Acquaintance", which doesn´t stand out for something positive) have never stood out to me. They´re all decent, but not that memorable.

The musicianship is solid and it´s especially enjoyable to lay ears to Paul Craddick´s busy drumming but lead vocalist Ted Leonard needs a special mention too for his emotional performance. Unfortunately some of the vocal lines are not that memorable though and he is occasionally forced to sing some notes that are on the edge of his capability. He sounds uncomfortable and strained. That´s seldom a good idea and it´s something they avoided on later more mature releases.

"A Blueprint Of The World" is partially produced by Steve Rothery (Marillion) who is credited for producing half of the tracks on the album. The rest are produced by Douglas A Ott. I don´t know the story behind this but my guess is that there was some sort of dissagreement between the band and Steve Rothery half way through the recording of the album or maybe a money issue. Regardless the result isn´t satisfying to my ears. Neither the Steve Rothery nor the Douglas A Ott produced tracks feature what I would call a professional sound production.

Despite some of the issues mentioned above I still think "A Blueprint Of The World" is a pretty good progressive rock/metal album. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

I find this album at times reminds me of Styx and other times reminds me of Dream Theater. I have a bunch of Styx albums and I have a bunch of Dream Theater albums so you would think I really like these guys right? But, while there is nothing really wrong with this album, there is also nothing really right with it either. It has some pretty kool riffs here and there. 'Nighttime Sky' is probably my favourite track on the album. That particular track sounds like a Rush outtake, which isn't a bad thing! I have had this album for a couple of years now and listened to it every once in a while, but I never really got into it, and I have never been tempted to get more Enchant albums.

OH,MY GOD!I feel from the beginning that I won't be objective and maybee fair in judgeing or making honest apreciations for A BLUEPRINT OF THE WORLD .It's an album that I really adore from all my heart and soul!Definitelly,this album is one of the best in the modern prog rock era and undoubtedly one of the strongest debut of a youg American,and not only, band in the prog area!They have included here all the elements to create a trully sensational debut album without any weak composition and that's why this album has an aura of a true musical masterpiece.The MARILLION shadow is present,but the ENCHANT compositions are strong and with more muscles then the ones of the Brit monsters!Of course,Steve Rothery gave a strong hand to the guys,playing even on one track.Ted Leonard has an impressive voice,warm and expressive and Doug Ott is one of the most capable and intelligent guitar players in the prog comunity!Even in 25-50-100 years,this album will be a major refference for all what means goood quality prog rock music!All the compositions breed of purity and freshness,wonderful ideas and majestic playing and the sensational combination between an incredible musicianship and marvelous compositions ,found here the perfect final result!In 2010 this album will be 15 years old,but not even a single trace of dust on it!It's rare and in the same time it's so full of hope the feeling that prog music will always find new ways of expressio and It's a musical genre that will permanently continue to reinvent itself,becaause it offers such a wide range of expression!I sincerelly had a shock when I discovered this album in 1995 and each time whan I make an audition I have the same feeling,respect and admiration for having the chance to be contemporary with his guys! A masterpiece of progressive rock without any hesitation! ONLY 5 STARS because it's the maximum allowed,but it deserves 100!

Enchant's debut album was produced with a little help here and there from Marillion's Steve Rothery, and that's a fairly clear indication of what to expect here - an American answer to UK-style neo-prog. The most obvious touchstone is Marillion, with their sound drawn mainly from the period ranging from Clutching at Straws to the proggier parts of Holidays in Eden (think Splintering Heart), but with an attentive ear one can also catch shades of Jadis and IQ, suggesting that Enchant had a fairly deep knowledge of this style of prog. One could also draw comparisons to the sort of material which fellow US neo-proggers Iluvatar were cooking up at this time.

Despite the aid of Rothery behind the producer's desk for some of the sessions, overall the album has a rather thin sound and the mix is kind of off, at least on some editions, though thankfully the 2CD reissue (which I have at last had a chance to hear) has addressed this issue. The band offer a competent rendition of neo-prog material which won't win any awards for originality but is broadly pleasing to the ear.

Enchant is without hesitation one of my fav bands ever, I have a soft spot for their music since I've dicovered them way back in 1998 through Break album, since then I've collecting all their albums + a DVD. First album released in 1993 in some parts appear as 1995 A blue print of the world is definetly among their best works for sure. The album was produced by famous guitarist from Marillion Steve Rothery living his guitar mark on couple of pieces aswell, all the album is something between Rush (Presto era) with some hints from Marillion (Holidays in Eden era) here and there, heavy prog meets melodical lines of neo prog style. Some top notch musicianship right from the debut, tight and very well performed, pieces like Oasis, instrumental Mae Dae or Nighttime Sky are absolutly among best they ever done. The incredibly strong voice of Ted Leonard, one of the first class voices in prog in last couple of decades (must be heared aswell his voice on Thought Chamber - Angular Perceptions - really fabulous) in combination with Doug Ott's great riffs and solos makes from this album a real solid one in this field. A fantastic first step in prog circles that stood the test of time very well. A recommended one, among their best works for sure. Easy 4 stars.

Enchanting!

Released in 1995, Enchant's debut album already showed a mature band. In fact, the band never managed to match this album at any later point in their career. A Blueprint Of The World features their strongest set of songs ever with most the ten tracks being of a very high standard. The strong lead vocals of Ted Leonard remind strongly of Kansas' Steve Walsh and occasionally also a bit of Journey's Steve Perry. The rest of the band are excellent as well and the only weak aspect is the drum sound. However, this doesn't affect the general impression of an otherwise great record.

Steve Rothery of Marillion appears as a guest on a couple of tracks and he also acts as producer. Rothery also guested on Arena's debut album in the same year, and Enchant can perhaps be said to be the American counterpart of Arena. Marillion is an influence on Enchant, as is Rush and early Dream Theater. The style is somewhere between Neo-Prog and Heavy Prog/Progressive Metal. Also in that same year of 1995, the band participated in the creation of several tribute albums released by the Magna Carta label - including two that celebrate the music of Yes and Genesis respectively, to which Enchant contributed their versions of Yes' Changes and Genesis' Man Of Our Times. I'm mentioning this because is might give you some further idea about the band's inspirations.

Overall, a great album. Highly recommended!

One of progressive rocks most beloved cult bands of the 90's, Enchant combine elements of progressive metal along with 80's neo-prog, to gain the perfect balance to appeal to fans of both subgenres. They're an awesome band. They have a very distinct sound, very melodic and easy on the ears, with enough crunch in their music to get heads banging, as well as vocalist Ted Leonard, who I consider one of my all-time favourite singers.

But here's the thing.

Damn, this album took me a long time to grasp. I mean, the first song 'The Thirst' had me hooked instantly, but for some reason the rest of 'em took loads (and I mean loads) of listens until they all finally clicked. And sure, I've come to like a lot of them, especially the first half of the record, but damn, it sure took some work.

The production is definitely of a mid-90's quality, and some of the tracks could do with a little cropping. But it's okay. They're a young band, this is their first album, and while there's definitely room for improvement, they've laid down some very solid foundations for which to build upon for future releases. Songs like 'The Thirst', 'Oasis', 'Catharsis', 'Acquaintance' and 'Nighttime Sky' are all memorable tracks that definitely make 'A Blueprint of the World' a worthy blueprint for this bands sound.

Included with my version is a bonus disc consisting of demos. Nothing special. Not really anything you'd listen to more than once. There is a pretty nifty little number titled 'The Calling' which didn't make the final cut. It's not a huge loss though, and overall this disc might be a great collectable for die-hard fans, but it doesn't really add or detract from the album.

In conclusion; despite featuring some of Enchants best songs, this is nothing more than a "good" debut. It helped establish the band and got their foot in the door, which, at a time when this sort of music was probably the least fashionable thing you could do, isn't such a bad achievement.

Some bands just do it right from the get-go, perfectly right. This is the case with American prog rockers Enchant, the band led by guitarist Doug Ott and vocalist Ted Leonard (later associated with Spock's Beard, Thought Chamber and Transatlantic). The band itself had been circulating and gaining momentum since the late 80s, when they were mostly doing covers of songs by Genesis and Rush, if I am not wrong. Gradually becoming more experiences and having concerts more and more often, the San Francisco-native five-member group released their debut album titled 'A Blueprint of the World' (after a lyric from the song 'At Death's Door', coming on in the second half of the record) in 1993, calling in Marillion's very own Steve Rothery to co-produce half of the songs, after the band were unhappy with their first-choice producer. Rothery remixed the tracks he was assigned and even played some guitars on the 67-minnute long neo-prog adventure that this band deliver.

Alongside Ott and Leonard, we also hear their comrades Paul Craddick on drums, Ed Platt on bass, and Mike "Benignus" Geimer on keyboards. A solid lineup that remained unchanged for five albums in a row, until some members left. The most important thing, of course, is the music that this collective is capable of creating, and the music on their very first studio release is quite fantastic. The band explore their neo-prog liabilities, given the presence of Marillion's guitar player as the album's co-producer, while also presenting a catchier side, with the loads of memorable riffs and hooks, intertwining those with a very technical, sophisticated side that certainly reminisces the instrumental pyrotechnics of a band like Rush, or the lush, glorious attitude of prog metal titans Dream Theater, who had released their classic 'Images and Words' just a year ago.

Loads of great compositions, the band does not settle for anything conventional or radio-friendly, which can also be appreciated in the track list, with the songs' lengths ranging from five to nine minutes of playtime. The vocals of Ted Leonard are gorgeous, his lyrics are quite challenging, deep and introspective, as the album excels with emotive power, further strengthened by the warm production, the buzzing bass and the sheltering guitar sounds. The keyboards play a more atmospheric role, there is no grand noodling, Rick Wakeman-style (of course, such playing would not fit this record), just gentle, in-place playing. Among the highlights of this excellent debut album are the opener 'The Thirst', one of the most recognizable songs by Enchant, the strikingly gloomy 'Catharsis', plain beautiful 90s prog, the six-and-a-half-minute quasi-love song 'Acquaintance' that features some of Leonard's more gorgeous vocal deliveries, the instrumental 'Mae Dae' (after the band's first name), and 'At Death's Door', a 7-minute cracker that once again has an extremely memorable chorus. The rest of the songs are also quite good, more reminiscent of the 80s style of prog, while still cerebrally Enchant.

I cannot hide that I enjoy this album a lot. However, objectively listening to it, one has to admit that it really is a high point for the genre of progressive rock in the decade of the 90s. Remaining relatively unknown, Enchant have managed to build a strong reputation throughout the years, presenting a very solid catalogue, and an even more impressive debut album (hinting at bands like King Crimson, Riverside, or ELP who also delivered some of their strongest, if not best, material with the very first studio LP) - 'A Blueprint of the World' is sprinkled with magic, and one can only dive deep into it to fully appreciate the nuances and moods of this beautifully-written and masterfully-performed collection of songs. Strong arguments can be made that the band never bettered this one!

How could I forget to review ENCHANT's 1st album, which I often cite as a real musical UFO?

In short, a short summary of this avant-garde album at the time remixed in 2002, 2007 and 2014 with 'The Thirst' with its thunderous sound and Ted's wonderful voice, which is reminiscent of the still young RUSH and Douglas's solo on a fatty and fruity style at the same time. 'Catharsis' with a spleen arpeggio which also gives the guiding line of the album, some bluesy notes and a prog declination on percussion and dark melody. 'Oasis' for one of the 2 master pieces, stereo from the start to check the calibration; it goes fast, high and well; moment when the progression wants to be limpid and shimmering; note the twirling guitar and synth. 'Acquaintance' for the melodic title, ballad where Paul's hit infuses the rhythm, latent atmosphere with a plaintive guitar which unrolls and warms the listener. 'Mae Dae' for one of the most beautiful instrumentals of the decade, a title which I cannot remain indifferent to; prog, latent, vibrating with this crescendo; a beautiful bucolic serenade. 'At Death's Door' which took me a while to tame; an evolving air which rises, which rises entangled with a plaintive guitar on one side, aerial on the other; the Rushian imprint at its firmament here with a final Rotheryan solo. 'East of Eden' tumbles for the agreed title, it's the rhythmic and the hushed atmosphere on a precise and jerky percussion which sets the fire with a jovial break reminding at the synth level what COLLAGE did so well. 'Nighttime Sky' 2nd great title and this little extra with the melodic tune that comes back like a wave on the edge of the beach; the symphonic side with the warm keyboards and Ted make it a must; there is prog digression every moment. Almost 'inchronicable', good Steve HOWE arpeggio is worth its weight in gold before a tortured high-flying solo. 'Enchanted' for the least good title... well, it's for fun, listen to the slow but inexorable rise, the fat guitar break and the flowing notes, another pearl and Paul who plays the drums. Last piano break everything goes wonderfully; an observation this title makes you forget time. 'Open Eyes' for the last title, one too many? , the one that looks more like RUSH than ENCHANT in my opinion, but maybe it wears out after 70 minutes? Maybe also after so many major titles, my ears were asking for even more?

In short, a necessary chronicle to remind us that 30 years ago magnificent albums were released and that today's sound must innovate to reach its perfection. To return to ENCHANT, I remember my first listen, when I got up to restart this CD, yes no replay, no remote control yet at the time. Immense.

After a handful of demos, in 1993 US prog rockers Enchant released their debut full-length A Blueprint of the World via Dream Circle Records. It is a strong debut, already showcasing all the qualities that Enchant will put on display through the rest of their career: incredibly skilled playing combined with a taste for classy arrangements and great balance between accessible mainstream rock and the intricacies of progressive music. Truth be told, A Blueprint of the World is tilted more towards the latter than the former, with the influences of prog rock giants, old (Genesis, Yes, Rush) and new (Marillion), looming large in the album's ten songs. Marillion in particular were a prominent influence at this stage of Enchant's career - and Marillion's guitarist Steve Rothery does indeed feature on this album both as guest player and as producer of about half of the songs (the rest being produced by Paul A. Schmidt together with Enchant's guitarist Doug Ott).

The style follows the aesthetics of neoprogressive rock music, with arrangements that are layered and complex, but at the same time light and pleasant to the ear. Guitars and keyboards provide most of the texture, often alternating in taking the lead at different moments of the songs. In either case, you'd be hard pressed to find anything "heavy" in the way Doug Ott and Michael Geimer are playing - as both guitars and keyboards favour clean tones, arpeggios and simple chords progressions over heavy and intense playing. Ed Platt's bass licks are perhaps the closest the album gets to "riffs", in the classic metal sense of the term of simple, repeated melodic figures that also provide a rhythmical pulse. Meanwhile, Paul Craddick's drumming dances around Ed's pulse, with a flurry of rhythmic activity and a touch that is beautifully light and clean.

There is a lot to unpack in each song, as the arrangements are fluid and keep changing from section to section, adding intricacies as the songs develop. However, the listener is almost never overburdened by the complexity, also thanks to structures that rarely get overly intricate and stick instead to a slightly elongated verse-chorus formula that roots the songs in a healthy dose of mainstream accessibility. Ted Leonard's beautiful voice is the other element that eases the listener in. Already from this first album, it was clear that Ted is one of the best singers in progressive rock, with a voice that is pristine and soulful, but at the same time packs incredible power. It is no coincidence that a few years after recording this debut with Enchant, Ted will become the frontman of Spock's Beard, one of the best progressive rock acts in the world.

However, one aspect of Ted's singing that is slightly disappointing is the lack of strong melodies that can truly burrow in the listener's head. This is something that will characterize most of Enchant's discography, for reasons I do not quite fully understand, but I suspect are due to both the songs' fairly complex harmonic progressions and to an intentional drive to eschew "easy" singalong melodies. To be fair, A Blueprint of the World does contain some excellent hooks, especially compared to other albums in Enchant's catalogue, such as "The Thirst", "Acquaintance", "At Death's Door" or "Nighttime Sky". But even these songs require multiple listens before the melodies truly "click", which may be a barrier for some listeners.

Another barrier - and weakness - of the album is the lack of consistency, both in the songwriting and production. Being a debut, it is quite understandable the band wanted to throw in as much of their material as possible, even if not everything would necessarily blend together well. However, at times this approach ruins the flow of the album. "Enchanted", for example, sticks out like a sore thumb, with its fantasy lyrics and epic atmospheres, when the rest of the album is very much grounded in reality. The alternation between Steve Rothery and Paul A. Schmidt as producers is also far from ideal. I can see why the band decided to ask Steve Rothery for help, as the tracks he produced are much better sounding than those produced by Paul A. Schmidt. However, the fact that these two sets of songs lie side by side on the same LP does not make for a smooth listening experience, and I cannot help but wonder whether Enchant would have been better off leaving the worse-produced tracks aside.

Despite these mishaps, A Blueprint of the World is a very good album, showcasing Enchant's great talent and potential. The album may not be everyone's cup of tea, as it is quite rooted in 1980s / early 1990s neoprogressive rock, more than metal. But fans of classic prog and more contemporary progressive rock/metal should not miss out on this band and album.