Edensong is a new symphonic progressive rock band from the U.S.A put together by James Byron Schoen. The Fruit Fallen is not a specifically a concept album but themes of the song do flow together very well. What I got from the lyrics is the theme of album is how the experiences of life give us the chance to learn and grow from them. Also the role of religion in our lives is questioned. The CD is over 70 minutes with eight songs ranging from 4.24 minutes to over 21 minutes.
Let me first say that it took many listens of The Fruit Fallen to start to fully understand the music (it will take many more to fully appreciate it). That does not mean this is a difficult CD to listen to or that it is overly complex, but that there are diverse styles used to produce the music. The styles range from folk, rock, theatrical, metal all combined to make a strong symphonic progressive album. The arrangements of the songs are very well composed. There are many textures and a lot of subtle parts added to each song that make for a very interesting listen. Many of the different textures are created by use of different instruments: violin, flute, piano, organ, cello, tablas, church organ, and African percussion. They also use a lot acoustic guitar along the standard rock instruments. The flute is major part of the sound and is played in every song The band changes dynamics very effectively similar to Porcupine Tree. The second song "The Baptism" is a good example of this dynamic changes from soft acoustic parts to heavy distorted guitar parts. James's singing style is very expressive and theatrical, it reminds me of Matthew Parmenter in style. Overall the music has a melancholic and dramatic feeling.
This is a very sophisticated and strong debut CD by Edensong. It seems to get better with every listen. If you are fan of early prog like King Crimson, Renaissance, Curved Air, VDGG or bands like Discipline or Porcupine Tree or even Sleepytime Gorilla Museum you will find something here to enjoy. What all these bands do well is to combine acoustic instruments into their music to make it sound so much richer. Edensong have done this while still sounding modern and unique. Job well done.
Note: Some might feel that my review may be a little vague, but it was hard for me describe the music since I have not fully grasped it all yet. One good thing about this is I will not soon be bored of this CD and will be listening to it for a long time.
Track listing
1. Water Run
2. The Baptism
3. Reflection
4. The Prayer
5. Nocturne
6. The Sixth Day
7. One Breathe To Breathe
8. The Reunion
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