Review | Edensong – Our Road To Dust

The Laser's Edge

Edensong emerged from the vibrant New York progressive rock scene, carving out a unique atmosphere with their intricate compositions and blending of genres. Known for weaving together elements of classic prog, folk, and touches of metal, the band has built a reputation for ambitious concept albums. Their music stands out for its rich instrumentation, with flute, violin, and acoustic textures seamlessly entwined with electric guitar and dynamic rhythms. Creating soundscapes that are evocative and technically impressive, at the heart of the song’s narration.

The way the songs transcend into higher realms of the mind, vibrating and resonating on the spiritual level, is utterly astounding.

NEVER CONTENT

As the first notes of Edensong’s ‘Our Road to Dust’ drift from the speakers, it feels less like pressing play and more like stepping onto a hiking trail at dawn, the horizon shimmering with promise and the weight of stories yet untold. The lush drift of the open and the relentless width of our world transcends from the band’s musical storyboard.

There’s a gentle acoustic shimmer in ,,Of Ascents” that immediately sets the tone. Its introspective, patient and controlled, and resonating with the kind of anticipation that only true prog can generate.

That calm is short-lived, as ,,The Illusion of Permanence” sets in with its guitars and flute locked in a harmonic dance that’s somewhat urgent and defiant, reminding the listener that Edensong has never been content to simply follow the map. The track shifts folk to prog metal. Edensong’s silence since their last odyssey been a crucible rather than a void, leading to cathartic new visions traversed on the song. Every note feels forged in the fires of reflection and wisdom, every musical segments generated from the creative realms of introspective absence. It all breathes air while equally challenges.

DRAMATIC LYRICS

As the album unfolds, the dust narrative becomes more than a lyrical tread weaving the conceptual segments together. It’s the very air these songs breathe, the dust travelling. Channelling these inner visions the band is keen in wordplay and content, gripping back to Orpheus on ,,Black Crow”.

,,These Old Wounds” aches with melancholic memory, violin and flute intertwining like old friends revisiting the scars of youth, while ,,Book of Complaints” offers a hint to the band’s playful side. Its folk-tinged melodies dancing atop intricate rhythms that never quite settle, always urging the listener forward. This internal turmoil is bordered into the subtlety of the music, the ease of the interplay and the flourishing musical perfection. The way the band blends lyrical fragments of the story line with a person’s life and evolution is impressive.

With ,,Hall of Statues” they address how absence is a serene moment of a void unneeded to be filled, (although; that’s my interpretation of the lyrics and its musical expression). And with ,,Book of Complaints” Edensong digs into the unseizable definition of time and time passed. They manage to inject wordplay into the dramatic lyrics, while maintaining the band’s benchmark musical enhancements of pressing on the lyrical content. Fragments of ,,Of Ascents” are embedded in the textures and themes reverting. This blend whirls into the mix, different tone. The output of its cohesion of words and music is downright impressive, and on the album they seem to double down on this intensity.

THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN PROG

The journey’s heart beats strongest in the title track, ,,Our Road to Dust”, where Edensong’s ambition reaches its zenith. Here, the band channels the spirit of American prog, weaving a tapestry of loss and resilience that’s as vast and unforgiving as the landscapes it evokes. There are hints of classic progressive rock and neo-prog in the textures, as well as a faint wash of folk instrumentation. The choir finale is a revelation, voices rising like spirits on the wind, carrying with them the weight of dreams never forgotten. It wails with an intensity marking the band’s creative bliss. Compelling and heart touching at times.

,,Wykkr Bäsct” is an instrumental gem that offers a moment of reflection, its textures and tones painting stories lingering long after the song fades. It’s gripping.

Through it all, the production is lush yet clear, every instrument given space to breathe, every harmony allowed to bloom. It perfectly brings out the musical perfection and wonderful marksmanship of the performances. The band plays with the confidence of a band who know the value of silence as much as sound, each member contributing to a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It all gels perfectly, into an overarching musical spectacle.

EDENSONG – THE CONCLUSION

As the final notes fade and the dust settles, it’s clear that Edensong has crafted more than an album. They have charted a journey through time, memory, and the relentless pursuit of meaning. It encapsulates the story of solitude and introspection, as well as the everlasting questions of mankind. “Our Road to Dust” is the power of perseverance and hard labour. It’s the music we make along the way that gives the journey its worth. It is a musical transformation of our memories and the outline of pictures of our soul.

For those willing to walk this road, Edensong offers not just songs, but stories. Stories unfolding, etched in dust, carried on the wind, to linger long after the last echo fades.