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Far From Home

    
       
       
       
     
             
Max Enix is a French based metal & rock singer, songwriter and composer, releasing the double concept album 'Far From Home' in 2023.    
             
Offering a unique sound, 'Far From Home' was recorded with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, and features fourteen songs of progressive, symphonic metal and rock with added elements of new age, hip hop and jazz! The double album contains many long songs - the longest of which chimes in at over twenty six minutes in length - with an overall run time of two hours and forty minutes! Yes readers, that's right - two hours and forty minutes! 'Far From Home' isn't just another rock/metal album, it's a performance of cinematic magnitude, opera like in its delivery, mood and atmosphere, with constant backdrop and personnel changes.    
             
For the album features a host of guest musicians - so many in fact, that I'm not gonna name them all here, but if you take a look below, you'll find a comprehensive list. However, I will mention - Max Enix wrote all the music and lyrics for the album, acting as director and producer too! For 'Far From Home' is much more than just a collection of songs, it's a production, and needs a team to steer it forward. And Max does just that, acting as captain with the help of Thomas Kubler (additional arrangements and orchestration), Hugo Williame (additional programming), Francois Rousselot (conductor), Victor Monteriggioni (copyist), David Castillo (mixing), Tony Lindgren (mastering), and Marc Krauth (vocals sound recording).    
             
The band line-up for the album, features Max on vocals, along with drummer Leo Margarit (All Things Fallen, Pain Of Salvation), keyboardist and pianist Vikram Shankar (Redemption, Threads Of Fate), bassist Jean-Jacques Moreac (Misanthrope), guitarist Xavier Boscher (Continuum, Nebuleyes), and singer Elise Wachbar. And as I mentioned earlier, 'Far From Home' features a host of guest musicians - see below for a full list.    
             
So what of the music on offer? Majestic, magnificent, meandering and moving. For the entire two hours and forty minutes, 'Far From Home' is a captivating and engaging slab of grandeur - definitely not an anthemic driving album! It needs your full attention, 'cause of so much that's on offer - more than one listen is definitely required. From sweeping arrangements to breath taking orchestrations, the album defies pigeon holing, constantly hopping boundaries to effortlessly move from rock to metal to progressive to symphonic to more diverse musical genres such as new age, hip hop and jazz.    
             
Now unlike most of my reviews, I'm not gonna go through every song on the album - it's way too complex and long for that kind of format. Plus I don't want to spoil the jaw dropping surprises that await - surprises that will stun, startle and shock. 'Far From Home' has something for every one, whether you're a fan of Dream Theater, Opeth, Nightwish, Katatonia, Pink Floyd, Freddie Mercury, or David Bowie. And as an added bonus, there's gonna be an "orchestral version" of the album released later this year! As if 'Far From Home' couldn't get any better - yes it will!    
             
Overall, an extraordinary and elegant journey of atmospheric symphonic rock and metal, and so much more.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Max Enix    
             
Review is also featured at Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Full list of guest musicians:    
             
Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas) - vocals    
Tom Englund (Evergrey) - vocals    
Devon Graves (Psychotic) - vocals    
Fabio Lione (Rhapsody, Angra) - vocals    
David Readman (Pink Cream 69, solo) - vocals    
Marcela Bovio (Stream Of Passion) - vocals    
Farhad "Zink" Hossain (Shumaun) - vocals    
Mahdi MK Khemakhem (Carthagods) - vocals    
Laurent Lunoir (Oxxo Xoox) - vocals    
David Fremberg (Andromeda) - vocals    
Michael Herrington (Onetwenty) - vocals    
Kobi Farhi (Orphaned Land) - vocals    
Damian Wilson (Threshold, solo) - vocals    
Toby Driver (Maudlin Of The Well, solo) - vocals    
Jon Pyres (Threads Of Fate, solo) - vocals    
Carsten Lizard-Schulz (Devoid, Lazarus Dream) - vocals    
Angele Macabies (solo) - vocals    
Johanna Red (solo) - vocals    
Mody Ptd (Kriteria) - vocals    
Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn, solo) - vocals    
Niklas Kvarforth (Shining, solo) - vocals    
Dan Swano (Nightingale, Edge Of Sanity) - vocals    
Benjamin Guerry (The Great Old Ones) - vocals and guitars    
Stephan Forte (Adagio, solo) - guitars    
Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, solo) - piano    
Mattias Ekhlund (Freak Kitchen, solo) - guitars    
Michael Romeo (Symphony X, solo) - guitars    
Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry, Meshuggah) - guitars    
Shad Mae/Saout Mael (Devoid, Shadyon) - guitars    
Timo Somers (Carthagods, Delain) - guitars    
Laurene Telennaria (Orkhys) - harp and vocals    
Luciana Lys (Constellia, solo) - vocals    
Sebastien Dubail (Constellia) - guitars    
Valou Besson Nix - vocal sounds and effects    
Agathe Mouchy Capone - vocal sounds and effects    
Michael - vocal sounds and effects    
Valentin - vocal sounds and effects    
             
             
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