But, there is another country out there that is quickly becoming a force in the genre. And that country is Greece. Greece, of the Iliad, of the birthplace of Western Civilization, of the Trojan wars, that Greece. There have been a few Greek bands covered on this web site, and, if you checked them out, they are among the best of the newer breed of gothic sounds. Enter now one Bare Infinity, out of Athina, with a first rate symphonic gothic sound, with a vocal line that continues the outstanding poetry that has categorized the Greek female music scene. There are others, and I’ll be looking at them over the next several weeks, but Bare Infinity is clearly at the forefront of the movement today. They may own Greece today, but they are clearly intent on a far larger audience. And, with a talent like this, there are likely few boundaries.

It’s interesting to look at some of the reviews for Bare Infinity, most are pretty positive but you still get that "the female gothic scene is overpopulated and there isn’t enough new to make it interesting" thing you get from reviewers who can’t come up with anything else interesting to say. Hey guys, maybe you’d find something more interesting in rap, I mean, how many four letter words starting in F can the average rapper come up with? Or how about Disney boy bands? I sometimes think they get their material from reviewing Facebook pages from 13 year old girls, cleaver. The symphonic operatic gothic scene uses symphonic metal with first-rate vocalists who tend to write some relatively interesting lyrical material. There’s a reason why there is so much of it, it’s good and a lot of people like it. Is that so hard to understand? Oh well, I do get heated on the subject, so let’s get back to the topic at hand.

Bare Infinity has been around for a while; they used a female vocalist previously who has been replaced on this title with a lovely brunette named Angel. Not sure if that is a Greek name of not, but she is a kick and a wonderful vocal. That vocal is varied; it goes dangerously close to the operatic but takes side detours along the highways of metal and atmospheric gothic. And her emotional interpretation of the lyrics suggests a talent beyond the obvious vocal capabilities. She tells a story, she doesn’t just sing it, and she feels it. And, with Bare Infinity, there are stories to tell.

The music presented here was under development for a number of years, it went through a plethora of alterations, it was developed and redeveloped. It was considered for one vocalist, and then reinvented for another. In it’s final form, it is clearly highly developed, it is sophisticated, and it is well done. This isn’t just 5 musicians working out of a garage; this is 5 strong musicians with an ear for the finest in the genre. The music is largely a product of Tomas, the guitarist who also does clean vocal work. Base player Sverd, who also does brutal vocals, also contributed in the song writing. Other performers include George on drums, and Vincent Andelmoth on keys and brutal vocals. And, of course, the long legged, beautiful vocalist Angel. And that sound takes us down a variety of musical paths. As is customary in the genre, we begin with a classical sound that moves in atmospheric directions. This is Greek classicism; we experience a bit of the legendary Greek sound, the one that launched a thousand ships in pursuit of a beautiful Greek woman taken by a Trojan warrior. The short intro is followed by Lost Again, another classical sound, heavy on the atmospheric, drawing on the gothic to take us to the vocals, overlaid in part but ethereal with a direction that leads us into the beyond. Angel sings:

The atmospheric direction continues with Bare Infinity. There is a solid symphonic to most of the Bare Infinity music, and nowhere is it as pronounced than here. There is a solid guitar line as well, but it is the keyboard that takes us to the vocal line. And this is a different vocal. As stated previously, Angel uses a variety of vocal directions to tell her tales. This one tends towards the metal variety, and it may be her stronger suit. The drums provide a solid base, the base guitar is pronounced and the lead axe kicks up the dust, but there is always the keyboard. . . and the solid vocal.

Always Forever, Part I continues this solid keyboard work. And isn’t this what we came for? This is music, solid music, metal at it’s finest. Again, the positioning of the various instruments is focused as a vehicle to highlight the Angel vocals. And those vocals don’t disappoint, they take us in directions we can only appreciate. Escape continues this direction, heavy keyboards over a strong drum with a guitar line that accentuates the beat. This title again moves Angel into a different vocal reality, with a slight choral component that highlights those vocals. The sound continues, but with a slight movement away from the ethereal and towards the metal.

Angel, however, is not the only vocal line on this production. There are male vocals and they take a variety of tacts. The Crying Shore is one of these; it begins with a male death vocal over the customary symphonic core and a crunching guitar. This tradeoff provides a serious alternative to the solitary female vocal, and, on this title, the lyrics provide a direction that takes us more into the gothic realm:

Although this is largely a hard metal production, the band does occasionally go in a softer direction. I Dream of You is one of these, and here we see a completely different vocal from our featured vocalist. She takes this one in a darker direction, a slower waltz, driven by a pounding guitar, an ethereal background that takes us to the Land of the Gods, where Zeus commands and the Gods of Ancient Greece answer. It’s a lovely sound, one that takes you to far away places, one that soothes the savage beast, and we enjoy the ride.

Bare Infinity is one of a solid group of Greek symphonic gothic sounds that is driving the genre forward. The vocal is more than a little entertaining, the symphonic is as solid as anyone, the guitars and the drums are classical metal. But be clear, this band is at the forefront of the Greek music scene for a reason. The production mirrors the strong song writing and the first rate musicianship. And the vocals of our beautiful Greek goddess do nothing to detract from this first rate musical entity. Somewhere, Zeus is smiling, along with a lot of other Greek immortals.

9.5 / 10