If there is one group that took the definition of progressive rock to its absolute limit, it is undoubtedly The Enid. They knew how to craft works with the structure and sound of classical music, without merely resorting to a fusion of classical and rock.
The Enid composed music that possessed the structure and ambition of classical music—sounding, in fact, like classical music—yet it was masterfully performed by a rock ensemble.
Their debut album, *In the Region of the Summer Stars* (1976), became a hallmark of progressive rock, earning the band a cult following within the genre.
This first album by The Enid bears more resemblance to the music of Ennio Morricone than to the "typical" progressive rock of the 1970s. Classical music reinvented? Perhaps. Indeed, as you listen to its 39-minute duration, scenes and snippets from films come to mind, brought to life through grand, sweeping orchestration, fluid guitar lines, dreamlike piano, and flute passages. The mood shifts frequently—swinging from the epic, grandiose, or even terrifying, to moments of complete tranquility and calm—creating a true dance of emotions.
A sense of warmth is captured in "The Lovers" and "The Sun"; a spirit of adventure and epic scale emerges in "Fool/The Falling Tower" and "The Devil"—the latter featuring particularly unsettling atmospheres—while the climactic, chilling intensity is evoked in "The Last Judgement" and "Death". Together, these tracks reveal the exceptional quality and inspiration behind this record. Had it been released a few years earlier—and had they not been forced, for absurd legal reasons, to re-record the album for a CD reissue—The Enid and their mastermind, Robert John Godfrey, might not have experienced such a turbulent career. Had any of these factors been different, The Enid would undoubtedly be regarded as one of the premier progressive bands of the 1970s. They might even have had a second chance at success; they belong to an elite group of bands—alongside the likes of Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, and Gentle Giant—that forged a unique, distinctively their own style during that decade, one that is instantly recognizable as such.
Quite simply, no other band managed to bring together such a combination of classical music techniques and styles, high-level technical and musical proficiency, and such emotional breadth and depth as The Enid did.
