Infinity Overture
The Infinity Overture Part 1

May 2011
Released: 2011, Lion Music
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP

Will the trend of epic, symphonic Power Metal ever end? Lord, I hope not! Infinity Overture are a relatively new entry into the field and the album THE INFINITY OVERTURE PT. 1 is actually their second album. Still with the venerable Lion label, who churn out these high-quality bands at an alarming rate, this Danish act have quite a bit to offer for dedicated fans of the sub-genre.



For this kind of epic presentation, the album is quite short at 9 cuts at 45 minutes, where the industry standard does lead towards lengthier albums. That’s OK, the philosophy of ‘leave ‘em wanting more’ is in effect as I am already looking forward to INFINITY OVERTURE Pt. 2.



I haven’t heard the 2099 debut myself, but apparently it is considerably more symphonic compared to the darker textures of this work. No band (or album) of this caliber would be complete without some high-powered guest stars to name-drop on the sticker that often goes on the front of the jewel case. In this case, founder Neils Vejlyt has recruited Fabio Lione (Rhapsody Of Fire) and Amanda Sommerville (Aina and a dozen more) to beef up the line-up.



The album just dives right into the deep-end, no slow intro, no spoken word, no keyboards or sound effects, the song ‘The Hunger’ just takes off with an infectious little riff, that gets revisited through the song. Like so many bands of this style, both male and female vocals are employed. The primarily lead vocals of new vocalist Kimmie Nielson are very nice, she has a sweet voice but not in the operatic/gothic soprano style. She reminds me more of a Lana Lane in terms of tone and delivery. She trades off with the various guests and they do duets at times as well. Neils adds some gruff vocals and growls as a decent counter-point to the clean vocals.



There are lots of Malmsteen-esque guitar solos, acoustic piano, acoustic guitar classical strings, laced among the slow to mid-tempo numbers. Ultimately the songs are a bit more restrained than some of the 150 digital track, multi-layered, bombastic, symphonic styling’s of Rhapsody or Blind Guardian. This has a even-keeled maturity in the employment of the symphonic elements, instead of that throwing everything into the mix at once.



Infinity Overture employ a very nice mix of great vocal lines and individual performances, excellent songs, hints and shades of gothic and symphonic components that are all blended together for a very enjoyable listening experience.