Review Summary: The question, it seems, has been answered all over and over again...
Following the tour for
”Something Wicked This Way Comes”, The Enid would once more return to the studio to record their sixth LP,
”The Spell”, throughout the summer and autumn of 1984. This time around, the main focus was on the concept of life and how it is cyclical; this concept would be augmented with the seasons as a allegory of life itself, and how many things in life is inevitable. This sharply contrasted with the grim concept of its predecessor and it was seen as a progression to more in-depth and mature compositions by Robert John Godfrey and Stephen Stewart. Released in early 1985,
”The Spell” was the longest Enid album to date, clocking in at 46 minutes; the length of usual Enid albums were far more shorter, ranging from 35-39 minutes in length. The reason behind the increase in length and material was due to the Japanese market, which already had a large share in compact disc sales by that time. The band knew this, and with the market in mind, added more material to make a double album of sorts (for the vinyl version, it would be played at 45 RPM instead of the conventional 33
1⁄3 RPM to make up for the abundance of time; and for “better dynamics and sound quality”, as said by Godfrey upon the album’s release).
”The Spell” from the start already marks a return to the band’s roots, and makes it look as it’ll be an all-instrumental album in the vein of the first incarnation’s albums.
”Winter”, the opening track, takes grasp of the sudden maturity of Godfrey’s composing strengths, while keeping to the usual Enid sound and is not afraid of flaunting its influences (in this case, as with most of this album, Richard Wagner plays a major part in influencing Godfrey’s compositions). Almost ambient in sound, it even foreshadows some of Godfrey’s upcoming works, such as
”Reverberations”. Stewart soon shares the spotlight with Godfrey in the following tracks
”Spring”, and
”Summer”. While the former continues onward in an instrumental direction with well-textured synthesizers and disciplined acoustic guitars, the latter takes an extremely sharp left turn in sound.
”Summer” really uses its length to its advantage, using a calm, melodic introduction (as if it were an overture) to the almost-operatic main section, featuring Godfrey on vocals on a piece that really showcases his operatic influences to an extent that may annoy some. However, they serve a purpose, in which the point of the concept may have been lost to some (in this case,
”Summer” focuses on people’s hopes and fears). The final three tracks intensively focus on the concept of life being cyclical, with
”Autumn” (a Godfrey-dominated instrumental) being all about the acceptance of death and looking forward to what the future brings forth. The serenity of the track is highlighted by the reflective tone of the music, and the acceptance of the mysterious inevitability that each season brings with it.
”Elephants Never Die” and
”The Sentimental Side of Mrs. James” mark a return to the vocals of Godfrey, accompanied with Stewart as usual. The former is more guitar-oriented, and focuses on the band’s dismay at the several conflicts and crises in South America at the time. The latter however, is more personal and emotive, focusing on a local family’s son, who had recently passed.
”…Mrs. James” potentially features Godfrey at his peak vocal-wise, and using his love of the opera to its utmost potential in this vibrato-laden tribute to a loved one.
”The Spell” was a project taken to grandiose lengths, and showcased Godfrey and Stewart’s gradual maturity as songwriters and composers. The idea behind the album was something that was, and is hard to pull off just right. While the concept was executed well here, the compositions themselves held few problems of their own (mainly, some parts that needed some trimming down; and some parts that needed some further development as well). Never before at any point in time had The Enid been so self-assured about themselves and in their work, and that only furthered the progress of the duo’s music. The immaculate guitar work of Stephen Stewart, the admirably classically-inspired compositions of Robert John Godfrey layered amongst the mess of synthesizers: it all was a sign of growth. And said growth would lead to the demise of the band in the coming years.
To be continued…
