Released By: Embrace the Fear
Release Date: February 21st, 2025
Genre: Power Metal
Links: https://www.facebook.com/enbound
Line Up:
Tobias Jonsson – Vocals
Andy – Guitars
Sven Odén – Bass
Mike Cameron Force – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Assaulted Taste
2. Maximize
3. Set it Free
4. Invicible
5. Actors (feat. Lee Hunter)
6. You Never Walk Alone
7. The Foresight Bleeding in Your Heart
8. Extreme
9. Black
10. Overload
11. Leave Them to the Night (feat. Kevin Moore)
It’s been a long wait for new material from Swedish power metal band Enbound, who released their excellent sophomore album, The Blackened Heart, in 2016, and hadn’t been heard from for a long time. Following a couple lineup changes, the band is back with their third full length release, Set it Free, which picks up where the previous album left off, while also marking the start of a new era of sorts. While it hasn’t left me quite as impressed as the previous album, it’s still another great album overall, and one fans of the band should be excited about.
On their previous two albums, Enbound played a mix of power metal and melodic metal, with some pop elements appearing on some tracks. They were largely vocal driven albums, with the instrumental work being solid, but rarely taking over for too long. Songwriting was quite varied, between more metal oriented tracks, and more pop infused tracks. This time around, while the more vocal driven approach is still intact, and the music definitely is still very melodic, the majority of the material leans more towards the power metal side of things, with hints of modern alt metal and some heavy metal thrown in, along with the usual symphonic elements. Tracks alternate nicely between keys and guitars, with most tracks being led by heavy guitar work, while keys are often used in the background for extra flavor, though there are times where they take over and they’re very well used throughout the album. Guitars are mostly very melodic, but they can be heavy at times, and some tracks use modern alt metal style chugs, especially early on in tracks or during instrumental sections, often being used in slower sections, before building up to more melodic, fast-paced power metal portions.
In fact, one thing I noticed about this album, is that where The Blackened Heart had more of a mix between fast and mid-paced tracks, most tracks on this album start off slow or mid-paced, gradually building up momentum and then going full speed ahead for the chorus. The vast majority of the tracks here fall into power metal territory, with the exceptions being two straight ballads and one sort of power ballad. The rest of the tracks all have a fairly consistent feel to them, while still each having their own memorable moments. I find that while this album lacks any tracks that blow me away like some tracks on the previous album, it’s still consistently great from start to finish, with no weak moments to be found. Production is excellent and very polished, as always, with Jacob Hansen in charge of mastering. Performances are also great, with band leader Mike Cameron Force being excellent as always on drums, and fellow returning bandmate Sven Odén is solid as always on bass. New guitarist Andy fits in nicely, with some very good melodic work, some nice solos and some very chunky riffs, all of which sound great and fit in nicely with the tracks. The biggest change, though, is on vocals, as Lee Hunter did a fantastic job on the first two albums, so filling in for him was always going to be tough. The band has brought in Arctic Rain vocalist Tobias “Toby” Jonsson, and he fits in quite nicely. He has a deeper, more gritty voice than Hunter, but still sings very smoothly, and he especially excels on big choruses, of which this album has plenty. Whether he’s singing heavier, more metal based tracks, or soft ballads, his voice sounds great, and he’s definitely one of the highlights of the album.
Songwriting is quite strong across the board, and while I find there isn’t any one particularly amazing track here, all tracks are great and the album is very smooth listening the whole way through. Kicking things off is “Assaulted Taste“, which starts off with some atmospheric keys, light choir vocals and soft guitar work for a little bit, before the guitars suddenly get heavier after a while, and the band settles into a mid-tempo groove, slowly building up to an upbeat, melodic chorus, with some excellent vocal melodies. The first appearance of those alt metal style chugs happens immediately after the chorus, in a quite memorable instrumental section. The tempo picks up slightly, and the guitars become a tad heavier for the second verse, and there’s a very melodic and upbeat guitar solo towards the end. Overall, it’s a great track, and a sign of what to expect from the rest of the album. Lead single “Maximize” is up next, and it’s one of the fastest on the album, led by some wonderful melodic guitar work and light keyboards. Verses are slightly laidback, still upbeat but not moving at a rapid pace, with a lighter guitar work and drums, while the chorus goes full speed ahead, and is an all out power metal assault, with excellent riffs and even better vocals, especially on the final run, where Tobi sings in a higher key and sounds fantastic. The track speeds up as it goes along, only slowing down briefly towards the end.
The title track starts off with some rather mellow keys and light guitars, before briefly moving back into alt metal territory with some rather chunky riffs, and powerful drums. It settles into a nice groove during the opening verse, moving at more of a galloping pace, and the heavy riffs are fully intact. The chorus is lighter and more melodic, moving at a faster pace, while adding in some light keys in the background. The most memorable part of the track is the instrumental section towards the end, which is more relaxed and quite beautiful. Next is “Invincible“, one of the lighter tracks on the album. It’s led by some more relaxed sounding guitars and light keys, and while the track has an upbeat feel, it moves at a fairly relaxed pace throughout, with the verses being quite soft, while the chorus is slightly more energetic and fun, but it’s still fairly subdued. It’s a very melodic, very fun and catchy track, without ever fully speeding up, and only getting heavy during the instrumental section, where the alt metal riffs are back in full force, for one of the most memorable moments of the album.
The most exciting track for fans of the band would have to be “Actors“, which features a guest appearance by former vocalist Lee Hunter. It opens up with some very energetic, upbeat keys, which have a slightly sinister feel to them, and soon some heavier guitars join in. The instrumental sections are quite fast, and have a slight trance metal feel to them, while the verses are fairly slow, atmospheric and very vocal driven. The chorus speeds things up, and is one of the catchiest and most all around memorable choruses on the album, with both vocalists sounding fantastic, especially on the final run, and the heavy guitar work afterward is also excellent. I notice Toby’s voice more throughout the track, but Hunter is still great whenever he appears, and both work quite well together. The guitar solo has more of a classic power metal feel and is another clear highlight. The first ballad of the album is “You Never Walk Alone“, a fairly traditional sounding ballad, mostly led by soft keys and vocals. It starts off very calm, with Toby slowly building up his intensity throughout, before hitting some big notes towards the end. There’s nothing particularly notable about the track, but it is very solid throughout, with the last minute or so easily being the highlight.
Continuing with softer material, “The Foresight Bleeding in Your Heart” starts off fairly light, with atmospheric keys, soft guitars and vocals leading the way throughout the first verse, almost sounding like another ballad, but then the chorus kicks in, and the heavy guitars kick in, along with faster-paced drums and more intense vocals from Toby. The second verse has more of a melodic metal feel, with slightly heavy guitars, and it moves at more of a moderate tempo, slowly building back up to that explosive, yet very fun and upbeat chorus. The instrumental section is quite upbeat and heavy, and the track gets more intense towards the end. Next is “Extreme“, which starts off with some rather interesting guitar work, before slowly moving into more of that alt metal territory. The opening verse alternates between soft and heavy portions, moving at a moderate pace, then the chorus speeds things up and is fairly heavy and intense, while still having some great vocal melodies. There’s an excellent instrumental section and bridge in the second half of the track, leading into a nice softer section before the final run of the chorus. The track alternates nicely between soft and heavy material.
Moving into the final stretch, “Black” has some slightly heavy guitar work at the beginning, before slowing down for a lighter, more keyboard driven opening verse, with a strong focus on the vocals. The track has an arena rock feel to it, with more relaxed guitar work, while placing a heavier emphasis on the keys and vocals, with the chorus in particular being quite beautiful, very soft and melodic, and even the instrumental section is very calm and laid back. The last heavy track on the album is “Overload“, which opens up with more of those alt metal chugs, before moving into a slightly upbeat opening verse, with some of the thickest-sounding riffs and most powerful vocals on the whole album. The chorus is a bit softer and more melodic, and it alternates nicely between speedy portions and more moderately paced portions. The instrumental section is again quite relaxed and beautiful, and it’s another track which has a nice mix of heavy and soft passages, with the final run through the chorus in particular speeding things up and going back into more classic power metal territory.
Closing out the album is “Leave Them to the Night“, a very beautiful, very atmospheric piano driven ballad, featuring none other than former Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore, who lays down some fantastic backdrops throughout the track. Toby once again starts off softly, slowly building towards an explosive, emotionally charged ending. While his vocal performance is impressive, what separates this track from the previous ballad is that it’s much more interesting instrumentally, with a lot more going on, both from the keys and guitars, so it’s a much more memorable track overall.
It’s always interesting to see how a band sounds with a new vocalist, especially one as reliant on vocals as Enbound, and thankfully, Set it Free shows the band still in top form, with new vocalist Toby fitting in perfectly. Musically, it falls into familiar territory, still very melodic and largely vocal driven, though there are bursts of heavy guitar work at points, and I do find it more consistently heavy and upbeat than the previous album, while still mixing in some nice ballads, particularly that closing track, featuring Kevin Moore. Longtime fans should be pleased with the album, while any melodic metal or power metal fan looking for a great vocal driven album would also be recommended to give this album a shot. I don’t find it quite as impressive overall as The Blackened Heart, but it’s still a great album from start to finish, and I’m excited to hear more from the new lineup in the future.
Ratings: 8/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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