[4/10] Maybe I’m too much of a traditionalist, but the term “symphonic metal” seems to be a bit of an oxymoron. I have as difficult a time imagining Mozart throwing a set of devil horns into the air as I do Rob Zombie listening to Beethoven for inspiration for his next album and/or horror flick. It is with that mindset that I sampled My Earth Dream from Austrian outfit Edenbridge, their second album for Napalm Records and their eighth release overall, including a live album and a best-of collection.

Aside from the over-abundance of strings provided by members of the Czech Republic Film Orchestra and the Czech Republic State Opera Orchestra, a major weakness of My Earth Dream is the voice of Sabine Edelsbacher. Her voice sounds like a mixture of Rush’s Geddy Lee and Evanescence’s Amy Lee. That’s not a good thing. Can it be a coincidence that they have the same last name? Conspiracy theorists have my permission to commence blogging.

Another disappointment is the guitar and keyboard work of Lanvall. He has one name. He’s the Prince (or Madonna) of symphonic metal. The entire CD adds up not being particularly cohesive or representative of what a band should be. It sounds like a bunch of parts jumbled together as opposed to a symbiotic unit. Lanvall’s keyboard finds little room for itself in terms of the melody when one considers the strings and Dominik Sebastian’s guitar. There isn’t much space in the rhythm department either after Frank Bindig’s bass and Max Pointer’s drums do their basic jobs.

Even though I have never heard anything by Edenbridge previous to My Earth Dream, I am willing to wager that if you’re a fan of the band you will like this. I have to presume that this band has a lot of fans because bands don’t last for eight albums with nobody listening to them. They seem like a band that has discovered a niche that works for them. Despite a few lineup changes over the years, the band’s nucleus has remained intact. However, if you like your metal full of throbbing riffs and roaring vocals, Edenbridge is not the band for you.

www.myspace.com/edenbridge