Review by Felix on November 28, 2023.

Infinity are probably not one of the most original black metal bands, but I am not interested in groups celebrating themselves for their inventiveness. In terms of (black) metal, I am just interested in thrilling songs. That´s why I feel at home when listening to this record. The Dutch three-piece prefers black metal with melodic parts which are naturally in the minority. The atmospheric production, in particular the drums, could be more massive, but due to the sinister sound, the band creates a strong negativity that tries to take possession of you. I guess the Dutch will be predominantly successful with it, because the songwriting qualities of Infinity are significantly above average. Let me give you some examples.

Title tracks are always condemned to represent the complete album. "The Birth of Death" achieves this particularly through the interaction of rapid parts and atmospheric intermezzos. It emphasizes the dark and desolate aura with the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. The menacing deep voice is a guarantee that Infinity do not leave the deserted ways of the genre at any time. Moreover, the musicians handle all technical challenges in a masterly fashion. This applies to the second highlight, "Flames in Hunger", as well. The band puts the focus on high velocity without eschewing to present an almost playful verse. Harsher songs, for example "Frozen Cries", attack with aggressive guitar lines so that they show the craggier side of the band´s art, but whatever they do, they do not tend to the unexpected or towards influences beyond their genre. And to be honest, this is not necessary. Black metal in all its splendor offers enough options to create an interesting album. However, I´ve got a suggestion. Maybe they should loosen up their future outputs with one or two shorter songs just to get more diversified. Their complex compositions of six, seven, or even eight minutes are partly similar to each other. Perhaps a brief killer would force them to choose another approach.

The cover motif captures the ambiance of the music in an impressive way. Naturally kept in black and white, it shows the solidarity to the black metal scene. The intention behind seems to be obvious. The more rapidly the scene changes, the more important it becomes to know exactly where you stand.

Finally, what about Infinity´s originality? As you might have expected, the lyrics deal with the usual topics of the genre. Furthermore, the band covers Immortal, Bathory, and Darkthrone, the last two on the bonus single of the vinyl edition. Unfortunately, this selection is definitely not exceptional and the guys stay close to the originals. But all these legends knew or still know how to create strong black metal pieces. And the same can be said with regard to Infinity who are still underrated. It is time to change this.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on August 22, 2019.

While it sold great upon being first released, the critics mostly give it a big thumbs down. That may be because these guys changed or have changed their style of music since their beginning. It is no surprise Jesper left the band probably because of that reason, they wanted to diversify, and he wanted them to be what they started as which is melodic death metal. So be it as it is, this one by far no matter what critics say is a waste of a purchase. 'Don't buy it' they say or use such things as 'it makes a good coaster for a cup'.

Musically, what this has to offer is melodic metal, some groove sounding twist to it, mid tempos, all reflecting the guitars at least. I'll throw in the fact that some songs are played with clean tone, but not all or nearly all the songs are like that. They still have the thickness and good production quality, though the intensity has come way down from what I left off with them which was Clayman and out of curiosity I stumbled upon this one. I didn't think right away that this was wholly bad per se, I just thought that they've just taken a huge turn.

Anders sings with a few different styles which accompany the music well. Screaming, a lot of clean voice (which kind of makes them sound like metalcore) and moderate throat. All of these different types I feel work well with the music. I saw a somewhat recent interview with him featured and he's kind of trying to dissuade listeners from discounting the musical direction they've taken post-Jesper. I like how they sound still, but a simple "like" from me doesn't justify their abduction from melodic death to more of a melodic/groove/alternative gig.

Song by song I think the sound of the music and the feel/vibe from their songwriting style now is still good and I really enjoyed the album. It's not because I myself as a human being is getting older, it's because I still think that what they have to offer musically the guitars are still heavy, all of the songs are lacking acute intensity though. They were never really huge on intensity, just melodic guitars and endless screaming. Their adjunct to the musical community is not near retrograde, it's experimenting with their sound plus the leads are still quality.

In Flames fans of the old may as they show on the reviews come up with negativity, but I come up with positivity. They still have it musically though Jesper left the band years ago, I feel that the sound is still high quality, just mild. I'm not going easy on them, I'm just saying that I don't agree with other critics. I think In Flames will go on strong for a while. I'm still to remain a fan of theirs despite their change in musical styles. They'll always remain a good band to me, I think listeners have to give this one a chance it's not garbage!

Rating: 8 out of 10