Blink of an Eye

What do you do with a rock group that refuses to better itself? You either love or hate it. Enchant sticks to a recipe of '70s American progressive rock (Kansas, Styx) augmented by crunchy guitar riffs and a certain heaviness in the rhythm section borrowed from heavy metal. But the songs are usually too straightforward for both prog and metal crowds, leaving only fans of '80s neo-prog acts like Pallas and post-Fish Marillion to rave about the band (well, at least some of them). Blink of an Eye is in the same mold as the previous album. Each song features relatively similar arrangements (the guitar solo here, the keyboard run there) and structures (verse-chorus sequences). On top of it all, Ted Leonard's voice reigns -- he rarely takes a break. He embodies the cliché of a prog metal screamer, trying to cram way too much emotional weight in lyrics that usually contain none. His range is impressive, his power too, but dynamics are completely absent. Sure, the melodies are catchy, especially in "Under Fire," "Ultimate Gift," and "Despicable," but listeners have heard it all before and it couldn't get any more mainstream.