First Light (Operation Seraphim EWCD28, 2014)
This studio album by symphonic rock band The Enid was made with support from the Enidi. The private member club provides funds so that the group can continue to operate. This is real grassroots crowdfunding before it became trendy.
The Enid has gone through various stages. The material on First Light includes re-recordings of new pieces as well as new compositions. The newer material is more vocal oriented, with much more of a pop influence. However, there is still plenty of progressive rock to make fans happy.
The Enid has become a close partnership between composer and keyboardist Robert John Godfrey and vocalist/lyricist John Payne. Godfrey is a master orchestrator and Payne’s voice is clearly spectacular, opera-level quality.
The highlights on this album for me are the exquisite “One and the Many” where romantic classical music meets the voice on John Payne, who delivers a memorable performance.
Another high point is “Dark Hydraulic,” where the band goes into full progressive rock mode featuring superb symphonic passages, epic sections, majestic choirs, epic electric guitars, special effects, and mesmerizing electronic sequences. This is truly the progressive edge of the band. Let’s hope they explore more of this side of the band.
“Mocking Bird” is a fan favorite that has been recorded several times. It’s a classic song that was first recorded by legendary British band Barclay James Harvest (Robert John Godfrey was one of the composers of this song).
The album concludes with a live version of an early symphonic rock classic, “Mayday Galliard” from the seminal The Enid album “Aerie Faerie Nonsense.”
The lineup on the album includes Robert John Godfrey on keyboards, orchestration and vocals; Joe Payne on vocals and EWI (electronic woodwind instrument); Dave Storey on drums, percussion; Max Read on guitars, vocals and choirs, EWI and programming; Jason Ducker on guitars; and Dominic Tofield on drums. Dave Storey played drums on the live piece.
This album was a limited edition.