Napalm Records
Infected Rain are not afraid of venturing outside traditional metal soundscapes and this keeps the music fresh. Lena Scissorhands’ raw, versatile and powerful vocals are all over the record. On the progressive “Never to Return”, for example, she displays her softer vocal style, which is reminiscent of Portishead’s Beth Gibbons in places, and this is followed by “Lighthouse”, where her vocals and the music sound a little like a Within Temptation track. On “Pandemonium” her clean vocals sounds like Evanescence‘s Amy Lee, but make no mistake, Lena has her own, distinctive sound and identity. Her full power is displayed on “The Answer is You”, accompanied by heavily distorted guitars and a nu-metal style riff from guitarist Vidick. The diverse instrumental arrangements compliment the vocals well. The band’s experimentation with sound is beautifully displayed by ‘Paura’, where gentle electronics are accompanied by spoken Moldovan, and the band shine on the haunting closing track, the purely ambient instrumental “A Second Or A Thousand Years”.
Brutal, broad, immersive and cinematic. A record that keeps the listener engaged from beginning to end.
5/6 | Anne-Marie Forker
Release date: 9 February 2024