Review: Enoch Root – Delusion

Style: Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, The Dear Hunter, Porcupine Tree
Review by: Doug
Country: US-NY
Release date: 19 February, 2023

Sometimes you just don’t know how a project is going to finally come together. First conceived all the way back in the halcyon days of 2017 by music engineering student Reese Ortenberg, Delusion has certainly taken its time getting done, finally finding its conclusion in the course of Ortenberg’s undergraduate work. Composed alongside two other albums all within three months (the others having been released under solo project Reese Alexander), Enoch Root’s debut may have been unhurried arriving on the scene, but has turned out pretty well baked as a result.

Delusion offers a lot of familiarity to the seasoned prog fan. Featuring some of the same semi-surreal vocal energy that characterizes Haken’s hits, Delusion settles comfortably into that modern niche that’s musically sophisticated but more stylistically grounded, less interested in Dream Theater’s fabulous solos and more in providing a focused and consistent experience, whether delivering a message in concept album form or evoking more abstract feelings. Without these grandiose moments, Enoch Root’s music is most engaging when there is forward motion, with either the guitars or the vocals building energy towards some emotional payoff. In the less driven phrases, the presentation sometimes stumbles, swirling eddy-like for a short time before the next buildup begins. But when they can maintain that momentum through the full length of a song, the results impress with unified sound and tight composition.

Ortenberg’s vocals define much of the album’s content, both because of the obvious comparisons to influencing vocalists (Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter and Ross Jennings of Haken come to mind) and because Delusion is extremely lyrically dense, with hardly even an instrumental bridge to be found. These lyrics are largely utilitarian, most focused on telling a story, never too off-putting (aside from trying to rhyme “slaughter” with “laughter”) but also without muchmetaphor or descriptive imagery. That said, I’m impressed with the vocal delivery itself – Ortenberg’s rich and expressive voice adds substance and presence to the dynamic vocal melodies, and Enoch Root succeed at evoking emotion and atmosphere musically even if the words don’t contribute as much as they could. Especially in the songs “Domino” and “Sanctuary,” Delusion feels unsettling in much the same way as a David Dastmalchian character (as in The Suicide Squad or Prisoners), projecting a feeling that something isn’t right without ever quite condensing a firm idea of what’s off.

While Delusion takes its time getting started – the first four tracks all feature similar lyrics describing how the subject is lost, alone, searching for this angel he expects to save him but who seems to want nothing to do with him – in the second half, Enoch Root put up quite a bit of talent. Songs like “Delusion,” “Grey,” and “Repose” align the band’s components in a brilliant array of musicianship, displaying their expert sense of rhythm and groove with phrases composed to grab the listener’s attention and make you take a moment to appreciate how clever the musicians are. Even relatively straightforward three- and four-count phrases feel dynamic and captivating with excellent use of syncopation and lively polyrhythms. These moments remind me a lot of other modern artists of the lighter metal / heavier rock persuasion (especially Altesia as well as the aforementioned Haken) who invoke a lot of songwriting flair and flashiness. Although Enoch Root come off as somewhat less experienced than these cousins of theirs, they leverage those inspirations well to make a strong initial impression and demonstrate not just mimicry of other groups, but understanding of what makes them successful and the ability to properly replicate those factors.

I say this a lot when reviewing debut albums, but this will have to be another one of those times: I’m very excited about whatever comes next for Enoch Root. Although strangely split between songs that blow me away and less exciting tracks that I don’t have a lot of thoughts about one way or the other, Delusion leaves me overall impressed with its creative originality. Despite a slow start, the standout tracks are intensely memorable and overpower most of my so-so feelings about the rest of the album.

Recommended tracks: Delusion, Grey, Repose
You may also like: Feather Mountain, Mental Fracture, Altesia, Artificial Silence
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent

Enoch Root is:
– Reese Ortenberg (vocals, bass, guitars)
– Jack Dratch (drums)
– Michael Golub (keyboards)
With live performers:
– Joe DeGregory (drums)
– Andrew Golub (bass)
– Jared Auslander (guitars)