VINDICTIV – Cage Of Infinity

For all of you out there who don’t know who Vinctiv are – and I guess there are quite a few of you – I reckon some kind of introduction is in order. The problem is, I don’t know that much about the project myself, they started out way back in 2005, formed by guitar player Stefan Lindholm (also with Firecracker and Soulspell), keyboard player Pontus Larsson and singer Tommy Karevik, who after the demos were cut, left to form Swedish progpop rockers Seventh Wonder. Lindholm recruited singer Göran Edman (ex Yngwie Malmsteen, John Norum, Madison, and now both with Swedish proggers Mårran and AOR outfit Covered Call) and bass player Nalley Påhlsson (Therion, Treat, Randy Piper’s Animal) with drummer Mikael Wikman. The band released their self titled debut album in 2008 and the year after its follow up, Ground Zero which was the album I discovered the band with – a brilliant mix of high energetic and melodic progressive metal with melodies and catchy choruses to die for. However, right before the tour of that album was about to start, Edman left the band and was temporary replaced by Nils Molin from Dynazty.

So now we write 2013 and Vindictiv have after four years recorded their third album, now with Italian singer Marco Sandron (Eden’s Curse) at the helm. Not that familiar with Eden’s Curse, I can easily say that Sandron turned out to be a stellar replacement for Edman with his wide ranging voice that sounds both clear and brutal at the same time. The music, this time feels a lot harder and angrier than on its predecessor and frankly, I miss the more melodic and poppy feel. However, it’s not like it’s un-melodic or such and it’s definitively not bad. Opener “The Chosen” sounds like old Yngwie Malmsteen meets Symphony X – great stuff, but the title track doesn’t really stick even though it’s a good song and “Choices” again reminds me of Symphony X – hard, heavy and progressive. Masterplan comes to mind in “Astronaut” and both “Human Emergency” and “Resistance” are great songs and here I’m thinking Norwegian prog metallers Pagan’s Mind. In “Son Of Fate” they sounds like a more progressive Helloween and the killer closing track “The Encounter” mixes Yngwie, Symphony X and Helloween, if you can imagine that.

Now, herein lies some of the problems with the album. I hear so many influences of the above mentioned artists that while listening to the album, I find it hard to hear how Vindictiv actually sounds, which certainly wasn’t the case with the brilliant Ground Zero. And the album could be a little more varied, now a lot of the songs sounds the same. But still, it’s a good album and the musicians are brilliant, the whole lot. Plus I noticed that the album is a grower so if it doesn’t stick the first time around – go give it another spin.

Jon Wilmenius (7/10)

Tracklist:

01. The Chosen
02. Cage Of Infinity
03. Down In A Black Hole
04. Choices
05. Astronaut
06. Human Emergency
07. Resistance
08. Orphans
09. Son Of Fate
10. The Encounter