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Silver Lining

    
       
       
       
     
             
Infinite & Divine are a melodic metal & rock band from Sweden formed in 2019, releasing their debut album 'Silver Lining' in 2021.    
             
Formed by musician/songwriter/producer Jan Akesson, and vocalist Terese Persson, known simply as Tezzi, Infinite & Divine continue Sweden's incredible legacy for producing great metal and rock bands - the list goes on and on, and I'm not about to start listing them all, for fear I'd run out of internet space...there's just so many! But in the mighty shape of Infinite & Divine, Sweden have a certainty for success. With a musical direction that floats effortlessly between metal and rock, the duo of Jan and Tezzi, along with drummer Jens Westberg, deliver eleven songs over a sparkling fifty minutes - with the spark ignited by the opening song, the hard rocking, heavy hitting 'I Feel Alive'. With a dreamy vocal performance by the incredibly beautiful Tezzi, 'I Feel Alive' hits the sweet spot - hard! Now I'll openly admit I fall in love with albums very easily, but the last time I fell this hard was way back in 1996, when another Swedish metal band knocked me for six with their stunning debut album - 'Horror Wrestling' by all girl metal band Drain STH. The feelings of love I had then, I have them again.    
             
The title song 'Infinite And Dream', oops 'Infinite And Divine' (crikey, I'm all cock-a-hoop) is a thundering metal tinged hard rock song, reminding me of eighties/nineties rock icons Vixen, and the sound of their first two albums. The high octane energy, the intoxicating vocals, and the sheer intensity of Vixen has been matched, maybe even exceeded, by Infinite & Divine - with 'Infinite And Divine' an infectious experience of highly enjoyable excitement. Stepping up a gear, 'Keep Moving On' hits harder than either of the two opening songs, proceeding to deliver a groove metal vibe - a kind of hard rock equivalent to Pantera. And the vocals, oh the vocals I could listen to all day long and never get bored - they are just gorgeous! As is the singer... There are many times I wish I lived in Sweden - and this is definitely one of those times.    
             
A mighty foot stomping rhythm hits very hard, as 'Not Too Late' continues the groove metal vibe of the previous song. Pounding hard like a masseuse hard at work on your back to relieve all your knotted tension, 'Not Too Late' will offer the same kind of relief. And after just four songs, 'Silver Lining' has become one of the years biggest surprises - even bigger than an alternative rock band from Italy winning Eurovision!! Picking up the tempo and intensity, 'Wasteland' is a hard rocking head banger - a glorious gallop of hard rock come heavy metal. The first opportunity for some proper head banging, 'Wasteland' is a monster punch of melodic mastery. With its grunge style intro, 'Burn No More' is a shuddering slab of heavy hitting rock. The infectious riffage is gonna have you melting with excitement, your heart beating faster as 'Burn No More' infects your blood stream with a high energy boost. And talking of high energy - the energy levels since the album began have been astronomically high, and have remained there!    
             
Aw man, the intensity is incredible - not letting up for a second, with 'We Are One' rocking just as hard as everything that has gone before, maybe even harder! Earlier this year I was stunned by another Swedish band - Metalite, and their new album 'A Virtual World'. That album gave me multiple eargasms, and I'm suffering, no, enjoying the same experience right here, right now, with 'Silver Lining'. The pleasure this album is giving me, is indescribable! Couple that with a singer whose voice is as sultry and sexy as her looks, I'm gonna be an exhausted but pleasured wreck by the time the album ends. Landing in heavy metal's version of the AOR genre, 'Off The End Of The World' is a pulsating journey, in the vein of, ahem, Journey, Boston, Kansas, and all the great AOR bands you could ever name. Infectious and addictive, 'Off The End Of The World' is a melodic treat you wanna experience time and time again.    
             
And with its title suggesting a ballad, 'You And I' proceeds to prove you wrong. Yes, it's the most mellow song on offer, yet it still manages to hit very hard. Probably too hard to even mention the word mellow. But what a song, and what a vocal performance - the overall tone of 'You And I' lower than anything that's gone before. Yet the energy level remains extremely high...a signature feature of the band. With an increase in tempo, 'While You're Looking For Love' comes across as a hard rocking party anthem. The heavy hitting rhythm is gonna have everyone up on their feet dancing like idiots - for 'While You're Looking For Love' is the most exciting song on offer, creating tingly sensations and a warm fuzzy feeling throughout your entire body - or is that just me! 'Perplexed Perfection' brings a gorgeous album to a close with an Earth shattering crescendo of the heaviest hitting metal on offer. 'Silver Lining' is a great album, with great musicianship courtesy of the multi-talented Jan Akesson, and the highly intoxicating vocals from the very beautiful Tezzi.    
             
Overall, a superb album of infectious rock and metal, 'Silver Lining' is a most pleasurable and satisfying experience.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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