Most of the songs here are very catchy, but the album opens up with a few of its hookiest. Eternal Rains kicks things off, and it wastes no time in establishing the band's core sound. A brief symphonic flourish opens things, but a mid-paced riff soon takes over - and the song becomes a hooky, crunchy number from the off. The verses are pretty simple, with a grinding riff sitting atop a simplistic groove - but this allows Bonny to establish herself early on. She is a diverse singer and able to deliver harsh vocals, but she generally sticks to her clean voice - only using harsh vocals sparsely. The transition between the verses and chorus makes use of some briefly for effect, but in general she soars. The chorus sees her at her best, with her vocal hooks instantly lodging themselves in the brain - whilst orchestrations add depth. The great thing about this album, though, is how prominent the guitar playing is. All too often the guitar is buried on symphonic metal albums, but Thessenvitz gets plenty of opportunities to shine here - and his melodic solo adds a lot to the song with its twisting melodies. Upside Down is somewhat similar, but arguably poppier. It is a song that goes all out for hooks, and the heaviness is somewhat stripped away - to allow for a pulsing verse that makes use of some off-kilter drum grooves from Niklas Müller. Bonny's smooth hooks shine against this less involved backing, but Thessenvitz still makes his presence felt in the song. Later verses feature more riffing, and the chorus is bigger - with plenty of riffs to back to the soaring vocal hooks. The song is potentially the album's catchiest, so it is unsurprising that it was released as a single. I can see it becoming a live favourite for the band going forward - and another brief Thessenvitz solo adds a little tech metal wizardry in what is otherwise a poppy track. Seth slows the pace down from the catchier previous track, going for a more mechanical, guitar-based groove which also makes use of some Eastern-sounding strings. The guitars drive everything here, Thessenvitz's riffs grinding away throughout, but the strings and synths are also more prominent. Melodic synth stabs create a stronger symphonic sound, and the song feels a bit more typically 'symphonic metal' as a result. The synths and strings are not as lush as they could be, though, which suits the tech metal riffing found throughout. Korbinian Benedict's bass playing is also pretty prominent, which helps the song's muscular tone shine - but there are still plenty of hooks here. Bonny's chorus melodies are infectious, but they feel more cinematic in scope this time - and the song in general just feels much bigger and more involved than the hooky opening one-two punch. From the Ashes feels pacier, with some double bass drumming from Müller, but this speed is something of an illusion - as the track is generally a pretty strident mid-paced number. Thessenvitz's opening guitar lead soars, adding an early hook, whilst the verses revel in their stripped back arrangement - with Benedict's bass pushed to the fore. The bass playing drives parts of the song, whilst the guitar leads from the intro return occasionally for added depth. The chorus retains the more cinematic sound of the previous song, too, and it builds from a short synth-led section which then explodes into something more typical of the band's hooky, hard-hitting sound.
Somewhere Better goes for a similar approach, opening with some excellent guitar leads, but the tone overall feels a bit more dynamic. The intro leads and groove retains a cinematic sound, but this drops away as soon as the first verse kicks in. Much of the verse is very low key, with Bonny singing against a backing of gentle synths. Whilst there is still a pulse to these synths, the band in general are absent here - and Bonny's voice is left to shine - before the instruments do return on the build up to what is another strong chorus. The slow-burn of the verses is welcome, then, and it helps to move the band away from the simpler approaches takes elsewhere. It shows a different side to the band's songwriting, and it allows Bonny to sing in a gentler, more emotionally-charged way - before returning to something more epic for the riffier chorus. The slower pace also allows for a some spacey guitar leads from Thessenvitz - and his solo here is rather low key - injecting some old-school progressive rock vibes briefly into the album. The Underworld ups the pace again, and returns to the more mechanical riffing style which served the band so well during the early parts of the album. The heaviness returns as a result, and the pacy rocker has an urgency to it - whilst still retaining plenty of hooks. Thessenvitz's riffing here has a strong djent vibe at times, but there is still a smoothness to the overall arrangement - particularly during the chorus which shines as always thanks to its poppy melodies. It is one of the hookiest choruses here, but there is still plenty of heaviness thanks to the occasional burst of harsh vocals - which are also made use of more prominently during the verses. The mix of clean and harsh vocals adds to the overall heaviness, as does a riffy breakdown section which then explodes into another excellent guitar solo. Ravenous returns to a more cinematic sound, and opens with a big lead line which actually has some folky overtones. Ad Infinitum do not generally go in for folky sounds, and this is certainly not a folk metal song, but there is something Celtic in the track's main melody line. Not much is made of this, though, although Bonny does occasionally include the odd folky wordless vocal chant throughout the verses, with the song in general being a strong mid-paced rocker with more of a synth presence and a bit less of an overall focus on prominent riffing. This changes part-way through, though, with harsh vocals taking over and a breakdown section upping the heaviness compared to the synth-heavy verses. The song does just enough to shake up the overall formula and keep the album fresh, but the band's core sound is still very much present. Under the Burning Skies slows things down quite considerably, and opens in a gentle manner - with Bonny singing alone against some strings. Unsurprisingly her vocal delivery here feels more emotional in tone, expanding in scope as the choruses is reached - which feels more dramatic despite the string-led arrangement. The band join in after this, though, but the song retains is ballad status with the instruments adding groove rather than anything more expansive. Later chorus iterations feel much bigger, though, and the cinematic vibes of earlier songs certainly shine during this orchestral arrangement - pushing the melodies and atmosphere of the song to the fore.
Architect of Paradise returns to something more riff-based and upbeat, with Thessenvitz's snappy riffing driving everything from the off - but the verses are another moment which see a more bass-led arrangement. The prominent bass playing during the verses helps the band's overall mechanical style to shine, and the punchy drumming accentuates this. The verses are quite staccato in tone, which goes a long way to re-establish the band's tech metal credentials after the previous ballad. In some ways, this song could be the most tech metal-inspired here. Lots of the riffs are stark and djenty, with another big breakdown section going all-in for that sound - with Bonny's harsh vocals once again making an appearance. A big chorus brings the hooks, though, and the song is another good mix of pop and metal. The Serpent's Downfall is another good mix of sounds, but this time something more organic is attempted. The opening riffing is typical of the band's sound, but the verse then slips into something different - with acoustic guitars in the mix as well as a bass sound which is not as growling as it has been elsewhere. This approach, combined with symphonics which are more overt and traditional, helps to create a sound which is much grander and more 'symphonic metal' than the band generally are. The chorus is possibly the album's grandest moment, with the strings sounding huge and really adding a lot to the overall approach. The riffing is less grinding here, too, save for a breakdown section, which brings more typical symphonic metal to mind - although Thessenvitz's solo is typically busy, adding his tech metal approach to the lusher overall track. New Dawn retains the acoustic guitars of the previous song, and opens in an atypical manner, before a slower soaring guitar lead kicks in. The song is another with ballad-esque vibes, although this track certainly soars higher than Under the Burning Skies - with a more dynamic arrangement present. The first verse is acoustic-led, maintaining the opening's organic nature, whilst the chorus is tougher - with big riffing and some heroic Bonny vocals. The song is very bright-sounding, and this is helped by the more organic approach taken. Occasional piano notes add colour, whilst a slow-burning guitar solo later sits against a pulsing synth backing - before exploding into something busier when the band crash in. This leads nicely into closing number Legends, which opens with some spoken word courtesy of Chrigel Glanzmann (Eluveitie). The song builds on the bright sounds of the previous song - but goes for a more typical symphonic metal sound with plenty of soaring strings and lots of excellent guitar leads. There is less of a mechanical sound here, with the riffing overall feeling warmer - whilst Müller's busy footwork creates some great power metal rhythms. Befitting the rest of the album, the closing chorus is another winner - and it feels massive thanks to the string arrangement. The strings in general are huge here, but they are stripped away for one last breakdown section - before returning for the last chorus to close out the album. Overall, this easily-digestible album has been getting a lot of love from me over the past month or so - and with the amount of hooks it is easy to see why. Sometimes symphonic metal can feel a bit bloated, but the sleek approach taken here allows the hooks to shine. There are more progressive bands out there, but for something more melodic and riff-based then Ad Infinitum are ones to watch out for - and I will certainly be going back and picking up the rest of their albums.
The album was released on 31st March 2023 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Upside Down.
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