THE STORY OF ENJA

CEN-PROJEKT 11th album based on elven heroic-fantasy poems given the cover and a contemplative sound. Modern crossover.

Ambitious cinematic "Intro", orchestral, dramatic, worthy of a Lord of the Rings, by ENYA. "Born in the Enchanted Forest" continues with an air by Mike OLDFIELD and Maggie Reilly; this female voice signs the birth of the heroine on a pompous air boosted by aerial choirs with a melancholic flute. The grandiloquent, medieval and heady chorus. "Encounter with the Elven Prince" drives the point home with the bewitching vocal, not elven, Sonja perhaps; a folk air mixed with Genesisian keyboards from their 3rd period and the magic works; a solemn spleen air develops ancient reminiscences. The fat and velvety synth break leaning on the works of Tony BANKS with a moving guitar arpeggio. "The Quest for the Crystal Flower" continues, reverberating, mystical, dark, creating a new universe; the male vocal is abrupt and sends into a fusion space between solemn and epic, on the universe of the revisited 'And Then There Were Three'; the melodic break with the acoustic arpeggio refers to HACKETT for a time. "The Rescue of the Moonstone Dragon" with the pastoral ballad, major flute supported by the fat, bewitching keyboard, the composer's trademark; a consensual piece until the enjoyable variation. A magical synth solo that brings back memories of the end of the 70s.

"The Dance of the Will-o'-the-Wisps" elven title and sound that YES would not have denied; the voice drives the musical nail home, Jon in memory; everything is there to regress admirably; the vibrant guitar solo break, the plus of this title with a unique singular air. CEN-PROJEKT calibrated with the finale marked by GENESIS. "The Guardian of the Ancient Oak" returns to the bucolic atmosphere of the Charisma Label era, the vocal flirting with that of Phil COLLINS, astonishing. The development with the fat, velvety synth, gives pride of place to a folkloric, pastoral, medieval, progressive space; inaugural of a world apart like the esoteric finale. "The Melody of the River Sprite" heavy riff on a female voice, AI or friend, let's keep the mystery. The nervous guitar takes over giving the rhythm that was starting to be missing in the album; intoxicating, fruity and Banksian atmosphere; the enchanting guitar solo, spleen in the end for a Genesis ersatz of all beauty and the memory of the beautiful flamboyant years of the 70s. "The Guidance of the Ancient Druid" a YES sound with a magical vocal embellished with the Genesis keyboard, as proof that GENESIS could have lasted until today; break, bass by Chris SQUIRE, not Wolfgang for a rustic variation before leaving on the breathtaking solemn air. The keyboard that overwhelms the space, it's simple but it's beautiful. "The Triumph of the Elven Heroine" as a final climax with the Olympian trumpet. The testament of history, the bewitchment created by the magic keyboards, between fusion and reminiscence, like this synth-keyboard solo making us revise our progressive classics. Guitar arpeggio in the style of HOWE before the ambient-bucolic passage of yesteryear, the one where we took our time. Simple but still divine. Originally on Profilprog.

I'm a regular reader of Prog Magazine and they had a small review of this album. I had never heard og this band before. They have made several albums. I thought I'd check it out and what a surprise. From the first chord it hit me. Melodic songs with a fantastic arrangement. I have played it for several weeks now. I have it on repeat in the car, and it has become one of my absolute favourites. Favorite tracks are The Guidance of the Ancient Druid and The Triumph of the Elven Heroine, the two last ones. I give it five stars and its going to stay with me forever.

This 'band' is basically the creation of one person, prolific German composer-multi-instrumentalist Chris Engel, only occasionally aided with additional musicians (on bass and drums). Chris has released 12 albums since 2019 (including 4 in 2023 and 3 so far in 2024). I've only heard a couple of his albums, but this is full-on classic symphonic fantasy element Prog, with songs and stories of elves, dragons, and ancient druids, with musical stylings deeply indebted to Genesis, Yes, Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips, and other classic symphonic prog bands from the 70's. But even with the very obvious references, the songs create their own musical path with wonderful melodies and compelling instrumental work, mellotron-drenched fantasies that work quite well. Vocally, Chris even seems to mold his voice to mimic the different vocal influences, sounding suspiciously similar to Phil Collins on some songs, Peter Gabriel on others, and even Jon Anderson on another. There are also dreamy female vocals throughout as well (no credit given for them). This is a wonderful excursion into somewhat familiar territory, but it is still a wondrous ride and very enjoyable throughout. Best Tracks: Dance of the Will-o'-the-Wisps, The Rescue of the Moonstone Dragon, Born in the Enchanted Forest, The Melody of the River Sprite, The Triumph of the Elven Horse. Rating: 4