adg211288 The Bonding (2013) is the eighth full-length album by Austrian symphonic metal act Edenbridge. This is the first album to feature new bassist Wolfgang Rothbauer, who also provides harsh vocals on the song Shadows of my Memory with male lead vocals on the over fifteen minute long title track are provided by guest Swedish singer Erik Mårtensson, who has provided backing/choir vocals on a number of metal albums including ones by artists like Golden Resurrection and Germán Pascual.

Although the early to mid work of Edenbridge is generally regarded to belong to the symphonic power metal genre on The Bonding the band have delivered a much more straight up work of symphonic metal. Elements of power metal are present in some songs including the excellent opener Mystic River but the greater focus throughout the album is on the symphonic elements, which are very well done. I like though that Edenbridge does not allow the guitar to go neglected though so you'll still hear some soloing aside from keeping the heaviness up. Solos are actually becoming more common in this genre these days than they were when I first started listening to symphonic metal some years ago so although it's less of a surprise to hear them in symphonic metal, it's still nice to hear some tastefully lead playing complementing the symphonic stuff. Lead singer Sabine Edelsbacher also has a great tone for Edenbridge's music. I guess I'd personally like to hear more power metal from them though. The fast riffs really stir up a track when they hit, as in The Invisible Force, another of The Bonding's best tracks.

The Bonding is overall a really solid symphonic metal album but it does also feel like the work of a band playing it safe within their genre. There are a few hints here and there in Edenbridge's music that hint at how other influences including folksy and progressive touches could be worked into the existing sound to great effect but every time I catch a hint of these or anything else it's almost as if they deliberating held back. That's not to say they haven't had an adventurous moment or two; The Bonding's title track is, as already stated, in excess of the fifteen minute mark, but for the most part the songs are business as usual for the genre. It's not a major problem, because these are all good songs and in a rare feat for metal bands they can pull off their balladry sections seamlessly, but there are definite hints that The Bonding could be even greater than it already is.

To summarise, The Bonding is a very worthwhile symphonic metal album with a stunning vocalist, particularly if you like the sort of mid-paced paced anthemic songs that the band mostly concern themselves with. I'm just hoping that next time around they don't play it so safe and actually explore some of those influences I'm hearing trapped in the background, begging to be released upon their listeners.

84/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/edenbridge-the-bonding-t3226.html)