REVIEW: INFINITE CORRIDOR – “SERPENT GATE”

INFINITE CORRIDOR are a duo from Hungary who describe themselves on their Instagram page as simply a ‘new band making old school heavy metal’. Naturally, here at The NWOTHM we were curious and wanted to investigate what that meant. On their recently released debut album we discovered a record that mainly kept to its promises, while sometimes diverging from the script.

Founded by guitarist Balázs Tóth and vocalist Ádám Faggyas, the band do indeed play old-school metal although with symphonic and classical elements. Their lyrics use symbolism and are inspired by fantasy and ancient texts, including Sanskrit texts from the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.

On Serpent Gate they collaborated with several renowned musicians, including Dirk Meyer-Berhorn (Orden Ogan), Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex-Judas Priest, ex-Iced Earth), and Skar (Equilibrium, Skar Production). The album was mixed and mastered by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann (Orden Ogan, Angus McSix) and Dennis Koehne.

Infinite Corridor

REVIEW

“Dreamwalker” goes for the jugular from the outset with a powerful Priest style riff, a frantic pace and a memorable fist pumping chorus.

Folk-tinged guitar provides a moody prologue section within “Straight Ahead”. Ádám’s Hungarian accent comes through in the quieter moments strongly here before the song picks up the pace with a riff reminiscent of Sabbath’s “Falling off the edge of the world”

Close your eyes during “Wings of Freedom” and it’s easy to imagine this song being staged at the Eurovision Song Contest. Big chorus – check, big production – check. These guys know how to write accessible, slick metal anthems and the pristine production complements this.

A brief cinematic build-up courtesy of some dramatic keyboard notes is the order of the day on “Break the Mirror”, before a muscular, if slightly plodding riff ensues. There is more menace and foreboding in this song, providing a clear contrast with its predecessor.

The drama is ramped up on “Invincible (intro)”, a short track that displays energizing keyboards overlaid with marching drums and chanted operatic singing that builds the atmosphere which continues into “Ashwatthama”. This is the type of track that the band excels in – a combination of the grandiose and ferocity. What I like about this track is the way that it feels epic without outstaying its welcome. The three minute, forty-two seconds run time is testimony to this.

“Feathers in Rain” drops the pace and begins with gentle piano notes, before launching into power ballad territory. While the lyrics are slightly clichéd, the execution of this is on point and again it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

The album title track “Serpent Gate” returns us to a bit of Seventh Son era Maiden worship, Ádám’s slightly gruff vocals here strongly complement the overall vibe on what is one of the standout tracks on the record.

“Deserter” is one of two bonus tracks on the album and features guest vocals from Skar (Equilibrium). It underlines the band’s undoubted talents and the surprisingly strong production that is evident throughout.

This is also the case with the alternative version of “Dreamwalker”, which features a vicious guest vocal performance from Tim “Ripper” Owens. It’s a cool way to round off the album and feels like a celebration of all that has gone before.

OVERALL

INFINITE CORRIDOR’S maiden outing has much to recommend it to fans of the new wave of traditional heavy metal. While in places it may be somewhat too grandiose for those who like their NWOTHM a bit more rough and ready, the slick production and polished songwriting on “Serpent Gate” belie the fact that this is a debut album. Considering that they are only just starting to build a full band, these guys will be ones to watch over the coming years.