Album Review: Ad Infinitum - Chapter II, Legacy

So many new bands come out that often it's difficult to keep them straight, to remember who is in each one, and which are worth remembering the next time they come around. If I didn't have a record of everything I've listened to in these years, I would have countless bands slip right through my memory, only leaving a faint trace of "oh yeah, I remember them" the next time I happened upon their name. Such is the state of the industry, as the flood of new music is impossible to keep up with, and our memories fill up more and more every year.

Ad Infinitum is one of the bands I did remember. I found a lot of promise in "Chapter I", and was very much looking forward to seeing if they could pay that off with a step forward on their next record. That's where we find ourselves today, determining whether the score will be written in black or red ink.

For this album, the band has tightened their songwriting and added in heavier influences, giving their sound a more modern sheen. These songs lay Melissa Bonny's strong vocals over chugging guitars, in a sense playing 'beauty and the beast' metal without most of the beast elements. At its best, like on the singles "Unstoppable" and "Afterlife", that is a heavy foundation for gargantuan hooks stands toe-to-toe with the best of the chugging metallic pop music I have loved over the years. It's incredibly impressive how they shifted their approach to an orchestrated, mechanical version of metal while producing the record themselves. They took control, and the results pay huge dividends.

The other thing of note about this record is how the lyrics are inspired by the life of Vlad The Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula. That turns my attention backward to the Vlad-centered sequel to the "Dracula: Swing Of Death" album that was not only an Album Of The Year winner from me, but was one of the highlights of the entirety of the last decade. That album was stuck in a huge shadow, while Ad Infinitum is approaching the same concept from a fresh angle. I don't have anything against Trond Holter's album, but Ad Infinitum has made the superior telling of Vlad's life.

The album doesn't waste time on superfluous elements, despite the lyrical conceit. These songs are lean and focused, delivering strong hooks and Melissa's powerful voice quickly and efficiently. The orchestral elements never get in the way or overpower the song, instead sitting as they should as supporting pieces giving the songs added depth and color. With a loud and modern mix, they aren't always the easiest things to hear, but their presence does give us reprieve from an endless wall of guitars.

With this second album, Ad Infinitum once again a case for their status among all of the fledgling bands populating the metal scene. Look, this album doesn't reach the same giddy heights "Dracula: Swing Of Death" did, but there are a few songs that come damn close. With the aforementioned singles, along with "Breathe", Ad Infinitum shows they are capable not just of being good, but of being great. If they can keep their potential up for an entire album, Chapter III of their career might just be a stunner.