Edenbridge

A symphonic metal outfit hailing from Austria and propelled by the commanding voice of Sabine Edelsbacher, Edenbridge fuse melody-centric power metal with gothic, progressive, and neo-classical touches. Frequently augmented by a complete orchestra, the ensemble pairs spectacle, tunefulness, and force in a manner reminiscent of European power metal acts such as Nightwish and Stratovarius. Following their 2000 debut Sunrise in Eden, the band steadily expanded their reach domestically and internationally, achieving notable milestones with MyEarthDream in 2008 and The Great Momentum in 2017, the latter becoming their strongest-performing album on the charts to date.

Lanvall, handling guitars and keyboards, assembled the project in 1998 alongside bassist Kurt Bednarsky, drummer Roland Navratil, and vocalist Sabine Edelsbacher. A 1999 demo secured a deal with Massacre Records, resulting in the release of Sunrise in Eden the next year. After licensing deals extended to South America, North America, and Japan, the record paved the way for second guitarist Georg Edelmann to join. Edelmann departed in 2001 and was succeeded by Andreas Eibler, whose first studio contribution appeared on that year’s Arcana. The third album, Aphelion, surfaced in 2003, followed in 2004 by the live set A Livetime in Eden and the studio release Shine, whose sound drew parallels to Epica and Evanescence.

The Grand Design of 2006 infused additional progressive textures, while the ambitious, Napalm-released MyEarthDream in 2008 enlisted the Czech Film Orchestra, an ensemble that also performed on 2010’s Solitaire. After a stretch marked by personal loss for Lanvall and Edelsbacher, the emotionally intense The Bonding arrived in 2013 as Edenbridge’s inaugural release on SPV. The Great Momentum followed in 2017, introducing drummer Johannes Jungreithmeier, and 2019 brought the band’s tenth studio album, Dynamind.