Lunatica's previous CD 'Fables and Dreams' was such a breath of fresh air for me because they had managed to perfect their own sound thanks largely to Andrea's unique voice and they delivered some very enjoyable songs to listen to. I was therefore eagerly anticipating the release of 'The Edge Of Infinity' plus I had the added excitement of helping to part-finance the CD and I was in Switzerland when my copy of the CD arrived -this all added to the anticipation. I guess in my own mind, I had over-hyped it! After arriving back from a long coach trip from Switzerland I was pretty eager to listen to the CD despite being knackered. On first listen, nothing stood out as being real different or exciting but I guess this was down to my circumstances at the time. However, I have listened to the album several times since and am picking out all the qualities (and faults) of the CD and there are lots of qualities in this music to rave about.

The CD starts with a narrated snippet about Infinity which doesn't exactly do a lot for me but I suppose does set the theme for the cd but after hearing it a couple of times I now just skip to the opening track (the title track) 'The Edge Of Infinity'. This track continues in the same vein as 'Fables and Dreams' and, as a Lunatica fan from the 'Fables and Dreams' album, that is very pleasing. It is clear from this opening track that Lunatica are happy with their sound but if you are to be over critical you might say that it is all a bit safe (not a bad thing in my book though). 'Sons Of The Wind' showcases the additional orchestral sounds that the band have introduced for this album. This track is a highlight and shows just how good the band are. There is a crunchy riff throughout and a darn fine solo that flows superbly and the song is beautifully sung and structured.

'Who You Are' is altogether more commercial and instantly singable and would do well in any chart if it had airplay. 'Out' has a very different start but is another beautifully crafted commercial song. You often wonder how bands like Lunatica can stay away from the limelight when they produce songs like this. 'Song For You' is yet another very commercial song (again not in a bad way though) and has a guest vocal from John Payne. It is quite refreshing that a guest male vocalist actually sings rather than all this grunting nonsense and his vocal sits well with Andrea's vocal. This maybe a bit too cliched for some people's liking.

'Together' starts really well with a real crunchy sound but the song unfortunately descends into one of those songs that will get hammered for the lyrics and old-school 'metal' style complete with all swords and battle references which is a shame because Lunatica do it better than others. Having said that, I find myself singing it quite often. 'The Tower Of Love' is a fantastic ballad and doesn't ladle on the schmalz where it could. The message that Alex and Andrea are getting across is fairly obvious in this song.

What you get with Lunatica is an altogether very enjoyable listening experience - great vocals and musicianship and with this album, well-structured commercial songs. Everything I personally look for in a band is on this CD - Andrea has a very distinctive voice and just gets on with singing (no histrionics) , the band are all top quality musicians and they all show they can play without 'losing themselves', there are some 'meaty' guitar riffs, and the songs are just very well written and well played! If you are to fault the band in any way, I guess people might say that they are a bit 'cheesy' and cliched but I don't prescribe to this point of view because I just want to enjoy listening to music. There is no doom and gloom here and none of that 'beauty and the beast' thing (great female vocal versus dodgy grunter). In fact, the guest male vocals are well-delivered and actually add to the songs rather than detract. This is just an all around 'good-un' but I fear that that may be it's dowwnfall.

Rating: 8/10