Rough Edge: Section A CD Reviews

SECTION A

"The Seventh Sign" (Lion Music; 2003)

Guitarist Torben Enevoldsen has deservedly enjoyed some very positive reviews here on the pages of Rough Edge (click here to read them) and we were excited to learn that he had put a band together and was planning a full-length, non-instrumental CD.

What was even more exciting was to discover that the end result, the first CD by Enevoldsen's band Section A, is such a tremendous success.

Enlisting the superb talents of Vanden Plas drummer Andreas Lill and vocalist Andy Engberg, the trio have created a stunningly powerful melodic metal CD with a heavy prog background. Not only are the eight songs here brilliantly written and performed, they are sophisticated and intricate, buoyed by simply outstanding production by Enevoldsen and intelligent, emotional lyrics by Engberg and Conny Welen.

As one might expect, Enevoldsen's guitar work is nothing short of stellar here, giving each song a full complex life of its own. Enevoldsen's fretwork is technically exact but he knows when to loosen up and give his music some soul, too - something that too few shredders remember is of utmost importance. In addition, producer Enevoldsen knows when guitars should at the forefront, when the vocals should be and when other instruments should take the lead. Ego has no place here - the choice is always made by what's best for the music.

Of course, the whole point of Section A was to step away from Enevoldsen's brilliant solo work and to create a full band. With the legendary talents of Lill behind the kit and Engberg's smooth yet strong, rich voice at the microphone, Section A's sound is near perfect. It reminds me of bit of bands like Ten, Dream Theater and the recent works of Gary Hughes.

Add to the mix guest appearances by Derek Sherinian (Planet X) and Günter Werno (Vanden Plas) and "The Seventh Sign" becomes even richer.

Great stuff, indeed.

Fans of melodic metal and progressive rock of any kind will thrill to Section A's "The Seventh Sign."

For more information, check out http://www.torbenenevoldsen.com.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

Back to CD Reviews Page

Back to RoughEdge.com home page