- Country: United States
- Genre: Progressive Death Metal / Technical Death Metal / Progressive Black Metal
- For fans of: Death, Blood Incantation, Ulcerate, The Chasm, Blut Aus Nord
Ænigmatum returned with Infinitude’s Passage, an album that appeared suddenly, without singles, without warning — exactly how an album that demands to be lived as a whole should be released. The band continues from where Deconsecrate left off, but here they raise the bar: more technical, blacker, more labyrinthine, more atmospheric.
Pierce Williams on drums is the driving force of the album. Blast beats almost non-stop, fills that recall Hannes Grossmann and a sense of constant motion that never lets the album drop. Even in the most atmospheric moments, Williams keeps the tension alive, giving the more melodic passages a half‑time feel instead of a pause.
The guitars of Eli Lundgren and Kelly McLaughlin move between technical death riffs, blackened tremolos and dissonant phrases that recall Ulcerate and Ad Nauseam. “Pitless Mechanism” is a prime example: pure blackened death, but with skronky details that are deliberately kept in the foreground. “Inseverable” and “Nocturne of Ageless Reverie” play with strange time signatures and Lovecraft‑esque chaos, while the solos have a Revocation‑like thrashy energy.
Colin Marston’s production is bright, clean and airy. The guitars have room to “converse” with each other without drowning, Brian Rush’s bass cuts through the mix with clarity and weight, while the drums — although not overly punchy — provide the necessary momentum. The vocals stay low, dirty, almost buried, with spoken parts appearing sporadically.
The only real misstep is the smooth jazz saxophone at the end of the title track. It offers nothing, doesn’t fit and works as an unnecessary detail on an album that is otherwise flawless. Fortunately, it doesn’t tarnish the whole.
Infinitude’s Passage is one of the most pleasant surprises of the year: technical, dark, melodic, full of riffs and ideas. Ænigmatum show they can stand beside the best in the genre and deliver an album that demands attention, but rewards every listen.
