One of the most underrated musician in the progressive rock scene is without any doubt the German instrumentalist Chris Engels. Under the moniker of Cen-ProjekT he released already 13 albums. And also as Engels he already released 2 albums. Too bad that most of those releases are only available as a download on his Bandcamp page. This might be one of the reasons that he is under the radar for most lovers of progressive rock. He doesn't deserve this. Because his beautiful sounding albums are a must for people who enjoy the music of the seventies acts such as Genesis, Yes, Mike Oldfield and Steve Hackett. But also those who enjoy more modern acts such as Big Big Train will find much musical satisfaction on those albums. Chris just deserves a much larger audience. Maybe the two Cen-ProjekT albums Dark Clouds (2023, see review) and Carnival Of Lost Souls (2025, see review) which were released on CD already gave him some more attention in the scene. And maybe the CD release of The Story Of Enja, which was released digitally June 2024, might also attract more fans. The Story Of Enja is again a concept album. It is about Enja, a beautiful elf with emerald eyes and golden hair. She was born in an ancient forest and grew up in close connection with nature. She frolicked among the flowers, communicated with the winds, and learned the secrets of the trees. One night, she met an elf prince with whom she formed a deep bond of love, and together they explored Elfland. Their love became legendary, but Enja felt the urge to venture beyond the forest and embark on adventures. She sought the Crystal Flower hidden in the shadows, encountered and freed the Moonstone Dragon, danced with will-o'-the-wisps, earned the trust of the Guardian of an ancient oak, and awakened a river spirit. She also sought the wisdom of the Old Druid and passed his tests, gaining profound understanding. With each quest, Enja's legend grew, and she became a symbol of courage, compassion, and the bond with nature. Over the years, she shared her wisdom with young elves, inspiring them to embrace their own destinies. Her legacy lived on, woven into the fabric of Elfland's existence. The artwork, production, compositions and everything that you hear on the album is all done by Engels himself. Except for the bass parts which were done as usual by Wolfgang Kropf. Let's go through the album track separately: Intro- The album opens with a short orchestral instrumental tune. Which could have been taken from the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack. This is very beautiful done if I may say so! Born In The Enchanted Forest - Next up a track which made me think of Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reilly. Most of all because of the combination of female vocals and great sounding guitar parts like Oldfield did in the early eighties. Think about Moonlight Shadow and To France. The song has also a nice bombastic sound because of the use of Mellotron sounds. Furthermore great musical parts performed on the electric guitar and synthesizers. Encounter With The Elven Prince - On this piece of music we do hear prog with folk influences. Reminding me of Iona because of the sound of the Uilleann pipes and the beautiful female vocals. Genesis with Peter Gabriel comes to mind as well. A Carpet Crawlers kind of song with nice Mellotron parts. The excellent guitar work and the great synthesizer solo finishes it off. The Quest For The Crystal Flower - After a strong harmony vocal intro this song moves music wise into the direction of Glass Hammer. Most of all thanks to the beautiful female and male vocals in combination of great parts performed on the keyboards and guitars. Heavy guitar playing and delicate keyboard parts go hand in hand on this track. The Rescue Of The Moonstone Dragon - Here we can hear for the first time influences which could have been taken from the music made by Yes in the seventies. Most of all the sometimes high pitch vocals sound like Jon Anderson. On the other hand Genesis comes to mind because of the excellent Mellotron parts. A great synthesizer solo is included as well. The Dance Of The Will-oŽ-The-Wisps - This one even sounds more like Yes. The vocals are even more high pitch sounding. But also this time around again with Genesis kind of keyboards and great guitar parts like Steve Hackett and Mike Oldfield only could do. The Guardian Of The Ancient Oak - A composition on which Genesis kind of bombastic keyboard and guitar parts are combined with acoustic guitar parts on which you easy can sing-a-long with. A great tune to release as a single I guess. Don't get me wrong! Chris doesn't go commercial here. Still a great progressive rock tune. The Melody Of The River Sprite - Here a short electronic intro, which sounds like a harp, moves into heavy guitars parts after a few seconds. The strong beautiful male and female duo vocal parts makes the song sound very melodic. However the heavy guitar parts come and go. Excellent Hackett kind of guitar solo with bombastic keyboard parts are to there to enjoy. The Guidance Of The Ancient Druid - Here the vocals sound more like Phil Collins with Genesis. The music also sounds like this band. A bit like on the album A Trick Of The Tail (1976). Chris shines here again on the electric guitar. The Triumph Of The Elven Heroine - The album ends music wise in the style which you already could hear on the track Encounter With The Elven Prince. Meaning Genesis again but also UK band Citizen Cain comes to the surface. Mainly thanks to the vocals which made me think of George Scott "Cyrus". A track with great organ and synthesizer solos in the style of Tony Banks. I am really glad Chris released The Story Of Enja on a compact disc. I have to say, I prefer a physical CD to a download. I just want to touch it, feel it, and smell it. Something you can't do with an MP3 version, of course. I know he will not release his entire back catalogue on a compact disc because it is too expensive and not everybody feels the need to buy one. Hopefully this review and the chance to buy a physical copy will bring more attention to this amazing musician. Because that is what Chris Engels is and what he delivers music wise with his musical project Cen-ProjekT is just awesome. Therefore I can only say highly recommended if you are into retro prog and a little bit of neo prog. Most of all if you enjoy the music of the seventies made by acts such as Yes, Genesis, Mike Oldfield and Steve Hackett. Thumbs up for this excellent album! ****+ Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
