Review by Andy Houghton for MPM
Infinite & Divine is a collaboration between two Swedes, musician/songwriter/producer Jan Åkesson and vocalist Tezzi (aka Terese Persson), who started working together in 2019. ‘Silver Lining’ is their debut album.
Jan started the band StoneLake, who released seven studio albums, and in 2017 he also released the album ‘Ascension’ by his solo project Shadow Rain. Meanwhile Tezzi has appeared as a lead singer in metal and progressive rock bands, as well as doing backup vocals for various Swedish artists.
In 2013, she also appeared on the second album, ‘Fantasmagoria’, from Epysode (featuring Mike Lepond of Symphony X, Simone Mularoni of DGM, and Tom Englund of Evergrey among others) as one of the five lead singers.
The album blends melodic metal and hard rock to good effect. The tracks are guitar-dominated, with riffs that are heavy but remain energetic enough not to be leaden.
The music is multi-layered, giving it considerable density. This makes for a lot of interest instrumentally, but the downside is that Tezzi’s vocals, despite their undeniable power, sometimes struggle to break free of the background cacophony.
The other drawback of this ear-pummelling approach is that some of the tracks sound a little too similar – a barrage of sound doesn’t leave a lot of room for subtlety or nuance, and there’s only so much you can do with it.
Nonetheless, there’s still a lot to enjoy here.
‘We Are One’ is a particular highlight: as well as packing one hell of a punch, it’s also the most melodic of the tracks on offer. ‘Not Too Late’ is also well-textured, and strikes a good balance between Tezzi’s expressive vocals and Jan’s undeniable musicianship.
Despite its minor drawbacks, ‘Silver Lining’ is an absolute powerhouse of an album and well worth a listen.
Tracklisting:
1.I Feel Alive
2.Infinite And Divine
3.Keep Moving On
4.Not Too Late
5.Wasteland
6.Burn No More
7.We Are One
8.Off The End Of The World
9.You And I
10.While You’re Looking For Love
11.Perplexed Perfection
Line up:
Tezzi Lead | Vocals and backing vocals
Jan Åkesson | Guitars, bass, beyboards, backing vocals and Programming
Additional Musicians:
Jens Westberg | Drums
