I can already hear what the music critics will say, “Edenbridge is a young band with a great potential, but they’re influenced too much by Nightwish”. Wrong. There are, of course, some similarities between Edenbridge and Nightwish. Both bands have female singers with huge voices, but that’s where the similarities end. Sabine Edelsbacher’s vocals are less operatic than Tarja Turunen’s also Edenbridges music is slower and much smoother (aside from the brilliant opener “Cheyenne Spirit” and the extremely infectious “Midnight at Noon”). The band could be described as commercial, if the word didn’t have so much negative connotation. It would be better to say that with their debut album “Sunrise in Eden” is more compatible to the masses, than their Finnish competitors. We’re used to hearing gloom (dark) rock and gothic bands from our neighbors, so their melodic power metal with a touch of baroque is surprising. With Lanvall as mastermind, they depart refreshingly from this Austrian band cliché. With tracks like the epic “My Last Step Beyond”, the many faced title song, the driving “Holy Fire” und the powerful “Take me Back” they definitely belong to top level Heavy Metal and set a high standard for bands to come. Why do these songs work so well? They almost sound like they were made from one mold and the arrangements are incredibly smooth. The secret lies with Lanvall, who has already three albums by his own. It’s in his inspiration from classical music and his composition style that accentuates the singer, Sabine’s vocals. She has, infact, an amazingly silky voice, which is unique for an metal shouter. “Sunrise in Eden” has a lot to offer sound wise too! Gandalf, who contributed a few sitar parts to the CD, is the Austrians producer. Dennis Ward of Pink Cream 69 mixed the album and gave it a nice touch of rockiness. And the cover art added the finishing touch. We had no choice but to name the four Austrians Newcomers of the Month. They’ve really earned it so you should give “Sunrise in Eden” a chance!