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Reviews

The Enid — White Goddess
(Inner Sanctum ENID010CD, 1997/2012, CD)

White Goddess Cover art

The Enid’s unique brand of impressionist symphonics, coming off more like an orchestra than a rock band, has been the pillar of their sound for well over twenty years now, and it’s one of those love’em or hate’em type things; few who are familiar with their sound tend to be on the fence. Sure they had a few questionable years in the late 80s and early 90s, but that’s all over now, and with 1994’s Tripping the Light Fantastic, they are fully back on track. White Goddess is probably their best effort of the 90s — strong themes in extended multi-part suites, heavy orchestration and a negligible connection to rock music as such. Fans of the band’s early works such as In the Region of the Summer Stars or Six Pieces will be very pleased with this newest disc (as this writer certainly is); indeed, the approach to structure, theme, and variation is much the same, with all the grandiose arrangements and symphonic pyrotechnics, though a new element of folk seems to be influencing some of the material. This time out the band includes mainstay Robert John Godfrey (keyboards), new members Grant Jamieson (guitar) and Max Read (guitar, bass, choir, engineer), and it marks the return of original drummer Dave Storey. Both Read and Jamieson join with Godfrey in the writing duties. The “White Goddess” suite itself includes ten tracks, then there are two unlisted bonus tracks — the first fits in well with the other material here, but the second is an out-and-out rocker with an early 70s Floydian sort of feel, vocals and all. An excellent album, all taken, and one this writer can recommend to fan and newcomer alike.

by Peter Thelen, Published 1998-07-01

The Enid is a band who have had more than their shares of music-business trials and tribulations (see Mike Ezzo's superb profile in issue #10). As such the release of a new CD from The Enid is a very welcome event. The group is essentially the brainchild of composer / keyboardist extraordinaire, Robert John Godfrey. None of the other original members remain in the quartet. The instrumentation includes twin guitars and drums, but this is clearly a keyboard-oriented disc. The overall sound is very lush and symphonic, and Godfrey's synths evoke strings, horns, woodwinds, flute, and harp in a very orchestral fashion. This is classically-oriented progressive music in an altogether different style than many are used to. Instead of merely grafting a few classical themes onto a tune and then jamming (a la ELP and others), Godfrey's compositions are structurally more in line with the classical tradition. Themes are introduced and carefully developed. Instruments play specific roles in stating themes and providing counterpoint. An extremely wide range of dynamics are employed (which by the way make this fun to listen to at louder volumes!). Godfrey creates a sound that is often majestic-sounding, but he also has an impish sense of humor that slyly surfaces on occasion. Godfrey also plays some lovely acoustic piano sections, and the guitarists use a "singing" tone similar to that on earlier Enid releases. The guitars are almost effortlessly assimilated into the overall orchestral sound in a very effective manner that adds plenty of "bite" to Godfrey's regal arrangements. White Goddess is an excellent album by a uniquely talented band. Compositionally it is more complex than some of Godfrey's earlier albums, but it is still quite accessible. For fans of symphonic music, it doesn't get any better than this!

by David Ashcraft, Published 1998-07-01

Longtime observers have seen Robert John Godfrey and his crew go from strength to strength, in a career studded with artistic merit of which this is another jewel. White Goddess welcomes two new members, as well as standby drummer Dave Storey. The most obvious comparison here would be with the second Enid recording, Aerie Faerie Nonsense, but delivered with the kind of maturity acquired along the way from accomplishments like The Spell. This is Godfrey's most classicized, and least experimental outing, taking the form of a traditional dance suite. "Gavotte," "Sarabande," and "Waltz" come arranged for orchestra-simulating keyboard instruments, whose absent percussion bestows a lightness that other Enid albums lack. They then contrast this side with "Gigue," where guitar and drums come storming onto the scene in grand Enid fashion. Echoes of Fand can be faintly heard in the album's centerpiece, "Rigaurdon," which will doubtless go down as a fan favorite. Initial pressings of this CD feature two uncredited bonuses. Both are excellent, especially the very tastefully (and surprising in this context) Enidified rock song — entitled "Mars" I believe — which is akin to Something Wicked This Way Comes. Let's hope for a whole album of this material! In the final analysis, just how long it will be before people are fed up with hamburger helper and start craving some filet mignon of the type that Robert Godfrey has been so unflappably dishing out for two-and-a-half decades is anyone's guess. If you have shied away from The Enid in recent years, here is a great opportunity to re-acquire the taste.

by Mike Ezzo, Published 1998-07-01

Filed under: Reissues, Issue 15, 2012 releases, 1997 recordings

Related artist(s): The Enid, Robert John Godfrey

 

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