Time Signature
Down in a black hole...
Genre: power metal
Vindictiv is one of those progressive metal bands that I was always curious about, but never got around to checking out. With "Cage of Infinity", I figured that was my chance to check out one of Sweden's premier prog metal bands.
And, the timing couldn't be worse, because apparently the band have decided to make a change of musical direction, abandoning their progressive sound and in stead adopting a straightforward power metal sound.
Although I can imagine that a lot of their prog-loving fans are disappointed with this album, I must say that we are still dealing with pretty good metal music. Embracing heavy guitars and crushing riffs, Vindictiv's new sound has more of a US power metal to it than a Euro one, and each song is virtually an onslaught of relentless guitar attacks in the form of both riffs and leads (many of which reflect a very high level of guitar virtuosity). With double bass drums at the bottom and soaring vocals on top, delivering memorable chorus lines, the picture is complete. While the progressive element is gone, the melodic element is retained, and particularly found in the vocals and in some of the less shreddy guitar leads.
While probably a disappointment to prog metal fans, Vindictiv's "Cage of Infinity" has a lot of elements that should appeal to fans of US power metal. And, while not what many people have expected it to be, the album comes out on top in the power metal genre and is a likely candidate for power metal album of the year.