Enchant - Live At Last
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Enchant - Live At Last
Performance
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San Francisco-based Enchant have been a part of the progressive-rock scene for over 10 years now, and have already released seven studio albums before finally getting around to this much anticipated live career retrospective. The Live At Last DVD was initially released in Europe back in October of 2004, but was immediately recalled due to an audio production glitch. The problem was quickly fixed and the DVD was eventually re-released in January of 2005. I only recently discovered Enchant a few years ago, so I still have some catching up to do. This DVD and the accompanying two-CD set are the perfect place to start, since they each cover about one-third of the band's entire catalogue. For those who are not yet familiar with the band, I would describe their music as a mix of Hogarth-era Marillion and Dream Theater, with a lead vocalist who sounds similar to a young Steve Walsh of Kansas. Enchant certainly have what it takes to break out in a big way with the right album and promotion, but so far they have only been able to achieved relative minor-league status. I find their originality and songwriting to be a little lacking to really separate themselves from the pack. They remind me of the difference between Kansas' 1980's albums and...say...Leftoverture. Their best stuff is only as good as Kansas' average material, but their next album could easily be their very own Point Of No Return. The potential is there, and it will be interesting to see what they do with it. Live At Last was recorded March 13, 2004 at I-Musicast, a small club located in their home turf of Oakland, California. Being that this is the band's first live album and DVD, it was refreshing to see that they got things right the first time. Live At Last is a two-disk package that contains 23 of Enchant's best songs, touching all seven of their studio albums, and offering a mix of progressive-rock and metal, as well as straightforward hard-rock and pop. They even throw in a few ballads and a two-song acoustic set to give the fans a taste of everything in their arsenal. The stage was small and the light show was very minimal, but the musicianship was superb. You can usually count on that much from a prog-rock band. The concert began with the band uneventfully taking the stage as a recorded instrumental track poured out of the PA system. About a minute later Doug Ott began fingering the melodic arpeggios of "Mae Dae", an excellent instrumental from the band's 1995 debut album A Blueprint Of The World. After the unremarkable "At Death's Door, from the same album, they launched into the highlight of the first set, "Sinking Sand" from their most recent album, 2003's Tug Of War. This song particularly shows off the virtuosity of each band member and the strong, emotional vocals of Ted Leonard. His singing is definitely an acquired taste, especially when you hear that Steve Walsh-like strain when he goes for the high notes. Sometimes I love it, other times it annoys the hell out of me, but it is certainly powerful. The mid-break features a short bass solo and some killer drumming, followed by a very melodic Steve Rothery-inspired guitar solo. I immediately picked up on the Marillion influence in Ott's style, but he also admitted in his interview segment that Rothery was one of his biggest influences. With such a long set list, all of the essential Enchant songs get covered. My personal favorite, "Under Fire", from 2002's Blink Of An Eye was another early show highlight. The band takes a break after closing the set with a rather uninspired prog-metal instrumental called, what else, "Progtology". Highlights from the second set included the wonderfully melodic "Under The Sun", from their 1997 Time Lost album, and the forthright hard-rock of "Seeds Of Hate", from Blink Of An Eye. A short acoustic set soon followed which featured two songs from 2000's Juggling 9 Or Dropping 10 album. "Black Eyes & Broken Glass" is one of Enchant's finest songs, but lost most of its impact in this stripped-down acoustic version. "Colors Fade" featured some nice harmony vocals by Doug Ott, and fared much better in this acoustic rendition than its predecessor. After a strong start and a rather lackluster middle section, the band finished impressively with impassioned performances of two of their best classics. "Below Zero" from Enchant's second album, Wounded, certainly contributes decidedly to the band's Rush comparisons. The intro guitar lick is very reminiscent of "The Spirit Of Radio", and the groove is much more progressive in nature than their later material. They revisited their first album and chose the fan favorite, and possibly best overall song, "Oasis", to close the show. The song has excellent melody and rhythm, with I often find lacking on many of their other songs. The music is anchored by an almost chime-like keyboard riff, and features some of Ott's best guitar work. The overall production quality was pretty impressive for a project with an obviously limited budget. The tri-fold case holds two disks and a color booklet that features concert photos and band information. The special features disk contains interviews with each band member, and some behind the scenes footage. The only audio option included was Dolby Digital Stereo but the mix sounded excellent, especially at higher volumes. The picture quality was about average, looking the best during close-ups, and getting a little grainy during the wider shots of the whole stage. The camera work was very up close and personal, often making me feel like I was watching from the side of the stage. I would have preferred more shots of the entire band performing. Just like Enchant's music, this DVD is one that grows on you more and more with each new listen. With a running time of over two and one-half hours, it is a lot to take in during one sitting, so give it a few listens, and you just might find yourself...Enchanted. Oh, I couldn't resist. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - March 2005 |
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Running Time: 152 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - January 2005 |