This is the debut release from melodic metal band Infinity Dream. A band that features two Widow (North Carolina) members, namely Chris Bennett and John Wooten, an ex-Widow member in drummer Marc Antony and vocalist Dina Altum. This time around, Bennett takes over main vocals, augmented by the sultry dreamy pipes of Altum. The resulting vocal tone really suits the style, in fact it reminds me of some of the “Yorkshire trinity” bands.
There are some influences Widow fans will recognise, some of those trademark melodic riffs and lead breaks have heritage within Infinity Dream, but musically it’s a little most broader. There are elements of Paradise Lost, Queensryche, Savatage and a few others, but that is for you the listener to immerse one’s self and make your own opinion. ‘Under Darkened Sky’ is a real gem, the hook and melody has you, the atmosphere from the instrumental pieces builds the foundation. As we delve deeper into the release, ‘Coming Home’ crops up. This one has a brilliant galloping feel to it, classic US metal complimented with Infinity Dreams own dreamy stance. The solo, love it, powerful, emotive, ripping…a classic piece of music. ‘Marching On’ makes me think of their other bands and traditional metal in general, a more upbeat impression is presented here with a sense of joy in the delivery also. ‘Walk Away’ is a little more low end heavy but when it gets to the 3 minute mark, the vibe that’s generated is tranquillity matched with melodic guitar tones gives you chills before rising to a higher plateau as if the volume had gone up. ‘The Eye’ matches more of Widow’s material and is a cracking track to end the album bestowing an upbeat positive vibe.
Overall, Infinity Dream and this debut ‘Memories’ is not my usual poison; I’m a stickler for not liking keyboard inclusions in metal music, but here but I like this, perhaps it’s the various influences that come in and the stepping stones back to traditional US metal that does it for me, plus the subtlety. It is a strong release and I’m interested to see how this travels. Europe has a strong market for such material.
(8/10 Paul Maddison)
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