Edenbridge – Shangri-La Review

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One of the least hidden secrets of this page is that I am an Edenbridge fan. I met the band years ago from that famous cassete tape a dear friend recorded me for my birthday. Edenbridge were one of the bands that I liked the most and I almost immediatly bought their debut CD 2000’s “Sunrise in Eden.” Lucky me that I had the opportunity of reviewing 2017’s “The Great Momentum,” 2019’s “Dynamind,” and 2021’s “The Chronicles of Eden Pt. 2.” When I say fan my dear fan may think I know everything about the band or I have all the albums and I can singalong each song from them. Nah, not so much. I mean that I appreciate the band and every chance I get I remind it especially when I’m writing reviews. Meanwhile there are times I ask myself why I can remember all the bands I used to hear in my teens while I can’t remember the band I heard yesterday. Well, back then I used to listen to an album zillion times. Now I manage to hear three or four times tops. Not to mention the quantity of about half a dozen albums a week. Sometimes more, but never less.

From where I’m standing, “Shangri-La” is a comeback to Edenbridge’s the original more simple and less complex sonancy. “Shangri-La” avoids the all orchestrations and the fancy production. It’s as simple as Edenbridge can get. It means down to earth guitar riffings, pounding drumming and powerful bass lines. Keyboards only when extremely needed and in the background as in “Freedom” with its potent guitar riffing with keyboards that stress the guitars in the strongest moments. There is also some orchestration here but it’s only to stress the moment as a bridge to the beautiful guitar solo. From “Shangri-La” it’s possible to get some of Edenbridge influences by the strong guitar downpicking in many guitar riffs. It’s obvious that the downpickings come from a band that I refuse to say the name. So, I won’t say the band is Metallica for obvious reasons. As it would be expected, the fan can hear echoes from the previous albums in tracks as “Arcadia (The Great Escape)” with all the complex – not too much – production and arranges. Besides all that the band follows its taste from pompous and grand track tittles as “Freedom Is a Roof Made of Stars” or even “Somewhere Else But Here” to mention the most.

The most interesting that “Shangri-La” made me remind is the contrast between vocalist Sabine Edelsbacher’s voice and the harsh guitars. I guess Edenbridge were the first Symphonic band I heard and that’s the reason why I can’t forget them. This contrast is the thing that made me have interest for Symphonic Metal. Well, that time I didn’t know it was named that way.

Edenbridge “Shangri-La” will be released on August 26th via AFM Records.

Track Listing:

  1. At First Light
  2. The Call of Eden
  3. Hall of Shame
  4. Savage Land
  5. Somewhere Else But Here
  6. Freedom Is a Roof Made of Stars
  7. Arcadia (The Great Escape)
  8. The Road to Shangri-La
  9. The Bonding (Pt. 2)

Watch “The Road to Shangri-La” official music video here: