by Justin Gaines
— Writer —
In an age where there is a wealth of new music released each week and it’s only a click away, it’s easy for new bands – especially on smaller labels – to fall through the cracks. When a band comes along and really makes an impression, we like to call attention to it. North Carolina-based heavy metal band Infinity Dream is one that’s definitely worth a listen. The band is the vision of guitarist Chris Bennett (of Widow), who also handles lead vocals here. Bennett is joined by a pair of Widow alumni – bassist John Wooten and drummer Marc Anthony – as well as Dina Altum on keyboards and vocals.
Given the Widow connection, you might expect Infinity Dream’s debut album Memories to be another high-flying, good time old school heavy metal album. It’s definitely old school, but in a totally different vein. There’s a classic power metal aspect to it, but slowed down. Not quite doom metal, but somber nonetheless. Warlord and Lordian Guard immediately come to mind, which is never a bad thing. There’s also a progressive metal side to Memories that recalls the classic early ‘90s Fates Warning albums. It’s satisfyingly heavy, but with plenty of technical flourishes, compelling melodies and an ethereal atmosphere from the keyboards and the production that perfectly suits these songs.
You can usually tell when an album is a true passion project, and Bennett clearly put his heart and soul into this one. He wrote songs that pay tribute to his influences and allow him to go in directions that wouldn’t quite work in Widow. And while you may pick up the occasional Widow vibe in the riffs, he shows a whole other side to his guitar playing on Memories. Taking on the lead vocal role may be the boldest move of all, and it pays off. He stays mainly in a solid mid-range here, and his delivery (ably assisted by Altum’s vocal harmonies) sets the tone for Memories almost as much as the guitars do. Highlights here include album opener “The Future Past,” “Marching On,” the melancholy “Another Day” and “The Eye,” but this is an album that works best taken as a whole.
“Atmospheric prog metal through a mid ‘80s Metal Blade lens” is a fairly tidy summation of the Infinity Dream sound. There really isn’t any other band right now that sounds quite like this. If you’ve ever made a mixtape of Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Queensryche songs or obsessed over Warlord and Crimson Glory cover artwork, Memories is going to put a smile on your face. It’s available on your major streaming platforms, but if you like what you hear head over to Bandcamp and show them some love directly.
Genre: Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal
Band:
Chris Bennett (v) (g)
John Wooten (b)
Marc Anthony (d)
Dina Altum (k) (v)
Track Listing:
1. The Future Past
2. Under Darkened Sky
3. Bitter End
4. Circle In Time
5. Marching On
6. Walk Away
7. Coming Home
8. The Stain
9. Another Day
10. The Eye
Website: https://infinitydream.bandcamp.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10
