The Enid - Invicta

The Enid Invicta cover
The Enid
Invicta
Operation Seraphim
2012
9
I honestly wasn’t expecting anything spectacular to come my way as 2012 is ending and just about all the albums have taken their way so far. Well, never say never, huh? From the moment “Invicta” came to my notice, it became the number one priority for me to hear. Due to the album’s independent nature I wasn’t aware of it till now. I guess it’s true to get it better late than never. I think it’s needless to speak about the band for it is well-known but in any case I will only say that The Enid was formed in 1974 by the keyboardist/songwriter Robert John Godfrey (ex-Barclay James Harvest).
 
So, the fans of the band and not only know what to expect from The Enid more or less… but here comes the change that none was alert of. That’s why I love true prog bands such as this for you never know what they are about to do on their next step. The addition of the gifted vocalist Joe Payne to the band’s ranks changed their musical approach in a way. There’s only one instrumental tune here, “Heaven’s Gate”, which is a sort of a “remake” of the “Art of Melody” that was originally included in “Journey’s End”, and the rest of them mostly focus on Joe’s exceptional voice. This guy’s amazing performances evoked memories from the one & only Freddie Mercury. He has given the band a different perception & essence. Take for example the operatic, pompous “One and the Many” where at first, I was confused and thought that a woman was singing till I realized it was Joe doing a falsetto. Quite impressive as a performance and as a song by any means. As soon as you listen to the specific track you’ll totally get my point of view.
 
The Enid present, through all 9 tracks, a brilliant amalgamation of symphonic, theatrical, rock, progressive, melodic, atmospheric & classical music. Rather histrionic & intense at moments… yet truly vivid, impressive, pompous, moody & harmonic overall. Although Joe is the point of interest here, it would be a miss not to say that every member is offering their best so as to achieve such an imposing outcome. Moreover the production which was done by Robert John Godfrey & Max Read (guitars/vocals) is remarkable.
 
I believe there’s no point in talking about each song separately, cuz’ they all play a major role in “Invicta”… although allow me to say that last stirring & deep tune “The Whispering”, is featuring over 200 vocal layers in its choral arrangements! Absolutely stunning! Only when there’s inspiration, creativity and imagination can you come up with an album like “Invicta”. Surely, this album is among the top 3 releases of the band, if not the best so far, and time will tell if it is to become a classic or what. “Invicta” is a state-of-art-work that will stimulate all the music lovers that are looking for really majestic, overwhelming, arty & imaginative music in particular…