INFINITE & DIVINE
“Ascendancy”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Infinite & Divine are a melodic rock/metal band from Sweden founded in 2019 by musician/songwriter/producer Jan Akesson, and vocalist Terese “Tezzi” Persson (Venus 5), releasing the bands debut album ‘Silver Lining’ in 2021. A superb album of infectious rock and metal, the duo of Jan and Tezzi return with Infinite & Divine’s sophomore album ‘Ascendancy’, released in 2023…

…building further the bands reputation as one of Sweden’s latest rock/metal sensations! There’s a very long line of sensational bands to have emerged from the land of meatballs, Volvo, and IKEA – way too many to mention here! Crikey, I’d be ‘ere to the year three thousand if I did! Now I know I’m gonna mention it at some point, I remember I did a few times during my review of ‘Silver Lining’, so I’ll get it out of the way early – Tezzi is incredibly beautiful. And with a voice to match too! Her vocal performance on the bands debut album had me spellbound and buckling at the knees, my heart pounding with excitement – I could easily listen and look at Tezzi for days (even months) on end and never tire! Am I in love? I just might be – and it’s Valentine’s Day today! Coincidence? I think not! But that’s enough personal stuff for the moment – there is an album to review after all! An album that’s quickly into its stride with the heavy hitting ‘Ashes To Ashes’, and oh my God I’m distracted already – Tezzi’s sultry voice, is simply perfection. Ahem, come on Iron Mathew, you’re meant to be a professional! Erm yes, but even professionals get distracted. And with something (the voice), or someone (Tezzi) so beautiful, can you blame me! Right, back to the music – ‘Ashes To Ashes’ is a barnstorming barrage of head bang-able and highly infectious metal-edged hard rock, appealing to fans of both rock and metal.

And the superb start to the album is maintained with the more melodic ‘LARP’ – just as energetic and sizzling hot as ‘Ashes To Ashes’. Maybe a tad more punchy, especially across the chorus break – crafted as a terrific sing a long for listeners, fans, followers and concert goers. ‘LARP’ surely has to be a certain inclusion on the bands set-list! It’s bouncy and buoyant and will definitely get a party started. A party that’s now in full swing, the band hitting hard and kicking harder! ‘Remedy’, running along the border between hard rock and heavy metal, moves the album up a gear, the infectious level to the next level, and the attraction higher than my attraction to Tezzi – if that’s really possible! I wonder if she’s single! ‘Our Time’ bringing the album in line with what melodic rock emphatically stands for – everything about the song is just perfect. The song writing, the musicianship, the vocal performance, the singer, I could on forever. But I won’t, ’cause if anyone happens to ask me “what do Infinite & Divine sound like” – I would simply play them ‘Our Time’. The bands debut album nearly left me speechless, with their sophomore effort having the same effect! Especially with sassy tunes like ‘Leave Me’ giving me an eargasm of the most scintillating kind! The swagger, the swooning, the swaying is simply outstanding, ‘Leave Me’ nothing short of superb. And just for the record, the title of the song is a prophetic statement of something I would never do to you Tezzi. Although with sixteen hundred miles between us, it’s a sentiment that’ll probably never be tested – it’s not as though we can just pop to the local pub for a drink! The mid point between us being in the North Sea, just off the Danish coast!

And with a buzzing barrage of electrifying energy, the band hit hard with the sultry ‘Silent Revolution’ – hitting like a jack hammer stuck on fast mode! There is also touches of the progressive, alternative, and industrial styles of rock and/or metal sewn into the fabric of ‘Silent Revolution’ too – Infinite & Divine not afraid to stretch their musical abilities and explore new sounds and sights. And from where I’m sat in my lofty Metal Mansion – the sound and sight of the band are just fucking fabulous! Pulsating and pounding (just like my heart) the album strides on with the bold and majestic ‘I Hold My Life’, holding its head high with shoulders pushed back in a “look at me” kind of pose. And look we will, for ‘I Hold My Life’ is as eye catching as the lead singer, and just as mesmerising too! The weight of the punchy nature of ‘Ascendancy’ has been incredible, and would normally knock rockers and metalheads off their feet at eighty-eight miles an hour back to the future! But there are those diehards among us (like me) that can stand tall and withstand any barrage of savagery that is thrown at us! But with my knees buckling under the weight of attraction I feel for Tezzi, it ain’t gonna be too long before I fall – and I mean fall down, not fall in love. That happened a long time ago – 2019 I believe, the year the bands first album was released.

And don’t get me started on the prophetic statement the title of the next song makes – I think we all know where this is going – ‘Forever With Me’ fielding an eighties nostalgic feel for rock, the melodic rock of bands such as Heart, Vixen, and Robin Beck’s 1988 number one charting power ballad ‘First Time’ (a compelling love song that’s very appropriate right now). ‘Forever With Me’s sultry vocal performance overlaying a backdrop of emotion and reined in energy is simply spellbinding, keeping me, you, and every other listener transfixed from the very first second to the last. And at three minutes fifty two seconds, there’s err, um, two hundred and thirty two seconds to enjoy! And whoa – where did that turn of speed come from? ‘Down’, the fastest song on the album, powering forth at a comfortably head bang-able pace, planting one foot firmly on the monitor, ala the classic gallop of metal legends Iron Maiden. What an exhilarating change of tempo and feel – is there nothing this band can’t do!

Apparently not – soft rock filling the air as ‘Parasites’ comes to life, the song getting heavier as it gets going proper, featuring a classic NWOBHM buzz sounding guitar riff! Infinite & Divine primarily I would say, a hard rock band with heavy metal leanings, rather than a heavy metal band with hard rock leanings – but it doesn’t really matter which way round it is when the music is this fucking good. ‘Ascendancy’ getting my vote for Album Of The Year – and if I could vote more than once I would. I’m sure I can find a way though…watch this space! And as the album heads for its final hurrah, I just wanna say again what a beautiful woman Tezzi is – her looks and voice capturing my love forever. And Doro, you know you’re my first love, right! Ever since your Warlock days during the early eighties, and you’ll always be my metal queen, but Tezzi is my rock queen! And now for the albums final song, ‘Small Deeds’ – a bustling barrage of fairly brash metal. Yes metal – for ‘Small Deeds’ leans heavily on the metal side of the border with rock. Yet I will agree, there is an element of hard rock sewn into the fabric of ‘Small Deeds’, closing out the album with just as much energy and pizzazz as every other song on offer.

Overall, a sparkling album of highly melodic and magical metal and rock, ‘Ascendancy’ is simply amazing.

TRACKLIST

Ashes To Ashes
LARP
Remedy
Our Time
Leave Me
Silent Revolution
I Hold My Life
Forever With Me
Down
Parasites
Small Deeds

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