ENCHANTED CARESS

This was supposed to be Illusion´s third album, but it was not released until many years after they broke up. In fact, the band had high hopes on the american market (where their first LP Out Of The Mist was well received and sold well), but when the second one was not even released there, the writing was on the wall. The times were not for prog and the recording companies were not interested in that style of music any more.

I guess this might explain the kind of tracks we find here. They are even mellower, poppier and shorter than all their previous works. Aiming at the pop market maybe? That´s the only reason I can think of for such loss of quality. Also the band was breaking up so it was not expect a great cohesion at the final days. Not that the songs are bad, but I was expecting something closer to their two previous CDs and what we have here is basic pop rock tunes, very 60´s influenced. Nice, ok, but also very forgettable. Not one progressive note in the whole (short) record. The production does not help much either.

I wonder if those tracks should ever be released. This is surely for hardcore fans, collectors and completionists only. And even those should listen before buying it.