REVIEW: Ad Infinitum - Abyss

Swiss-German melodic metal outfit Ad Infinitum chooses to elevate their sound on fourth album 'Abyss', with dreamy instrumentals that conjure images of floating the heavens and defeating Kid Icarus-style demons. Bonny’s vocals are versatile and full of passion, and each member of the quartet gets their time in the sun over the course of 10 tracks.

Highlights of this album included second single 'Outer Space', which acts as an ethereal proof of concept for 'Abyss'. Combining transitional melodies with metal riffs and lyrics of embracing your own downfall, 'Outer Space' finishes with a final reprise that sends the listener freefalling towards dark healing.

Another highlight include 'Aftermath', which follows 'Outer Space' on the track list and makes an explosive entrance with hardcore hooks and a good taste of Melissa Bonny’s scream - give us more! - as well as percussion by Müller that was crafted with love and perfected in its execution. The change of pace was welcome and acted to transition from act 1's repentant songs into the vengeful music of act 2; this section of the album was 'Abyss' warming up its listeners for the descent into hell that is to come.

It needs to be noted that 'Abyss' has fallen into some of the common metal pitfalls: some of the lyricism is a little on the nose, the slow starts in middle-album tracks do make the album lethargic on a cover-to-cover listen. Bonny’s screaming feels underutilised throughout the project - short bridges before breakdowns left us wanting for full verses. However, the final half of this album is where it comes into its own, with ballad 'Anthem for the Broken' (though falling victim to some on the nose lyrics) successfully sending the listener spinning to the bottom of the whirlpool where they find the final highlight 'Dead End', the closing track of this project. Starting with a floor lead the listener is welcomed to hell with arms wide open, with the instrumentals bouncing and Adrian Thessenvitz’s guitar prowess getting its final hurrah. The ethereal feel from the beginning of this project is successfully transformed into dark fantasy by its closing.

Overall, this album had a beautiful concept: the heavenly sound design and imagery within the lyrics paints a picture of an angel whom the listener is watching the descent of. Instant bangers such as 'Anthem for the Broken' and 'Aftermath' show off the skill of the band and are complemented by Bonny’s vocal range. Though this album does have some lag in the middle and loses a little of its nuance in its lyrics, Ad Infinitum has still created a dreamlike world ready to twist into your favourite nightmare.

'Abyss' will be released on October 11th via Napalm Records.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photo: Stefan Heileman