Enigma: Gravity Of Love

By Joar Grimstvedt, November 3, 1999

The new single is set to give more than a few surprises to Enigma fans. Most prominently, the cover reveals that Gravity Of Love contains parts of one of the most famous choral works made: Carmina Burana. Upon listening to the song, more distinctive elements are found.

Credits are as follows:

GRAVITY OF LOVE 3:56

Music and Lyrics: Michael Cretu
Performed and engineered by Michael Cretu and Jens Gad
Lead Vocals: Ruth-Ann from "Olive"
Recorded and mastered at A.R.T. Studios Ibiza/Spain

Produced by Michael Cretu

Published by 1-2-3 Music/Crocodile Music - Schott Musik International

Contains parts of Carl Orff: Carmina Burana (O Fortuna)
(C) 1937 Schott Musik International
used by permission of Schott Musik International

From the forthcoming album
The Screen behind the Mirror

(P) 1999 Virgin Schallplatten GmbH
(C) 1999 Virgin Schallplatten GmbH

Starting the song off is a repeated phrase from Carmina Burana, with vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle taking over as the chords comes in. The percussion starts lightly, but a surprise comes when the drums set in - they are the very same as was heard in Return To Innocence. These drums originally come from Led Zeppelin, and is one of the most sampled drum patterns in music. If Enigma hasn't sampled the actual source, they've constructed a very close imitiation, and in either case expanded slightly on the drum pattern.

When the song chorus arrives, the heavy drums and the choir makes for a massive sound, which is augmented by symphonic cymbals, similar in effect to Silent Warrior. The elements are well balanced, making the mix sound just right.

Shortly after the chorus, another surprise lies - a familiar quote from the first Enigma album: The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom. Whether it is Sandra or Louisa Stanley speaking may not be easy to discern, but it is a second female voice, followed by the same quote repeated by a male voice.

Throughout the song, several familiar Enigma sounds can be heard, of which the wailing horn, known from songs such as The Voice Of Enigma and Knocking On Forbidden Doors and a steady Cretu favourite, is among the most dominant.

The song goes very slowly, at a low 70 BPM. This matches the choir from Carmina Burana, and for once the Led Zeppelin drums are played at their original speed. Compared to previous Enigma first singles, it has the most in common with Beyond The Invisible, though Gravity Of Love should prove more interesting, for fans and for others. The inclusion of Carmina Burana, although only a fraction of it is used, marks something new from Enigma. For the first time, a well-known piece has been incorporated, instead of with earlier songs and albums where the vocal samples used have, almost by definition, been obscure and culled from remote sources.

The full single release will feature two remixes, "Judgement Day Club Mix" and "Dark Vocal Club Mix". These are not featured on the reviewed copy of the single, but there's the opportunity for some interesting mixes based on Gravity Of Love. As a first taste of what the new album may be like, Gravity Of Love is a very tempting song.

Thanks to Virgin Records Norway