Infinity Minus One - Tales From The Mobius Strip

Year of Release: 2002
Label: independent
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 24:46:00

Over the years, the Berklee College of Music has produced a great number of talented musicians and various collaborations and constellations. Infinity Minus One is the latest bands out who have their background at Berklee and they consist of Denis J. Lanza (vocals), Kairo Zentradi (guitars, keys), Kevin Hammer (keys, guitars), Kelly Conlon (bass) and Libor Hadrava (drums, violin).

Imagine a mix of Dream Theater, Fates Warning, OSI, Rush and King Crimson and you might have an idea to what this band sound like. Although their music is firmly based in the prog metal category the band is not afraid to cross over to prog rock territory, which makes this release a dynamic and interesting affair. Where most prog metal bands are fronted by dominating guitars, there is no dominating instrument here. The guitars and keys are equally fronted in the mix and where I usually find myself drawn to the awesome guitar work of similar bands, my attention here lies more on the interplay between the keys and guitars. There are plenty of interesting solutions and impressive interaction between these two instruments and it comes clear throughout this release that Infinity Minus One are very talented musicians. There are lots of cool instrumental passages and the bands' take on the genre is fresh and at times very innovative. Vocalist Dennis J Lanza has a good mid-ranged voice, but he suffers from a poor and muddy production and is too low in the mix. That's too bad really, because I would like to hear more of his voice to get a better impression.

So, we have established them as good musicians, then what about their ability to write songs? Are they just as good at writing as playing? Both yes and no. Opener "At The Doorway Of Existence" is a wonderful song with lots of variation, excellent instrumental delivery and a verse and chorus that is both memorable and accessible. A great song! Also, the instrumental track "Independent Day" is very impressive with some furious instrumental work from all members. I do feel though that this song lacks some melody, you know like in the movies they talk about style over substance, it's the same thing here. The remaining two songs are also good and varied, but I feel that sometimes the vocal parts are overshadowed by the constantly busy instruments. They should work a little more on the melodies for the next recording as the instrumental part is already perfectly in place. With a little more focusing on melodies and this will be one killer band!

The production is, as mentioned earlier, muddy sounding and it is hard to set the respective instruments apart and the vocals are a tad too low in the mix. I cross my fingers and hope to hear a more powerful and crispy sounding production for the next recording, as there is so much going on in their music that this production doesn't do the music justice.

Tales From The Mobius Strip is a very fine release by this talented band. I do however deduct one point from the final score due to the production. Might not be fair, but I can't really recommend people to buy this blindly without listening to it first. Musically this is well above average, but the production could put people off. Having that said, this is one of the most interesting upcoming bands in the prog scene right now and with just a little more focus on the melodies and a better production next time I am sure that they will capture the hearts of prog fans all over. I for one can't wait to hear that they do next.

Similar To: Dream Theater, OSI

[This review originally appeared May 2003 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]

Tracklisting:
At The Doorway Of Existence / Face To Face / Independence Day / Architectural Martyr

Musicians:
Denis J Lanza - vocals
Kairo Zentradi - guitars, keys
Kevin Hammer - keys, guitars
Kelly Conlon - bass
Libor Hadrava - drums, violin

Discography:
Tales From The Mobius Strip (2002)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin US

Added: January 1st 2005
Reviewer: Bjørnar Bevolden
Score:
Artist website: www.infinityminusone.com
Hits: 2794
Language: english