Ad Infinitum: Continuing A Legacy
In the early days of music, composers would write symphonies and sonatas that would follow on from each other in one epic fashion. It was not uncommon for the amount of symphonies to increase in numbers over 100, with noted composer Joseph Haydn composing 107 in his lifetime. Whilst this style of music creation has fallen out of favour with the different styles and structures in music, it’s never completely gone, especially within genres like progressive rock and symphonic metal. After the albums, Chapter I: Monarchy and Chapter II: Legacy, the band AD INFINITUM continue their journey with their upcoming album, Chapter III: Downfall, set to release in March this year. Before this next chapter drops, we speak with vocalist Melissa Bonny about the record, tour plans, and their favourite anime.
“We finished recording the album in spring 2022,” Melissa begins, discussing the creation of Chapter III: Downfall. “So now we’re more than ready to finally share it. It’s always exciting to go to the studio and to create something new. I don’t know if it’s my favourite part of being a musician, but it’s one of the things that I find very exciting because I love to spend time perfecting, creating, adding some layers and details. It’s also a timestamp that represents where we are right now as a band. So I really love it. A little bit stressful period with running around preparing the tour, preparing the album release right now, but I’m good.”
AD INFINITUM originally began in 2018 initially as a solo project for Melissa, with more members joining in 2019. While there’s currently no official plans to celebrate five years of the band, it wasn’t completely out of the question. When asked about the fifth anniversary, she notes, “I think the celebrations will be a little bit delayed because we are starting our gig season with the summer festivals. We have the chance to go to North America for the first time, so I think next time we meet, there’s going to be a big party.”
“We don’t have any plans yet to play there, but I’ve always wanted to go to Japan,” Melissa continues, when asked about any places she would love the band to perform in. “I’ve heard so many great things about the place from people, from friends of mine, who have played there. When I was a teenager I was fascinated by Japan. I read a lot of manga and watched anime series, and I’ve always been fascinated by the place. I would love to play there.” When asked which anime series was her favourite, she replies, “when I was younger, I was into so many. Sailor Moon, I was reading Fruit Basket, I had lots. There was this particular TV show, called Cat’s Eye. It’s about three sisters who are committing crime in the night, stealing art.”
Singles are always expected before and after an album, the best way to top and tale an album era, and AD INFINITUM are no exception to this expectation. Amongst the singles the band have released in anticipation for Chapter III: Downfall was the song, Seth, which introduces new fans and old to a different sound from their previous singles. “Seth started from an idea that Korbinian [Benedict, bass] and Adrian [Thessenvitz, guitars] had,” Melissa describes when asked about the song’s creation. “They decided to give it a darker atmosphere than what we’ve done before. We finished writing it when we were in a little songwriting camp together and worked on the demo that they prepared at home. It turned out really cool. For the music video, we had the chance to work with Vincent De Fallois (director of photography) and he found a wonderful location that looks like there’s upside down pyramids. It was great fun.”
She continues on to talk about the evolution of AD INFINITUM from their previous album, saying “I think Legacy was, for us, at a time where we were researching the AD INFINITUM sound and how we were creating it. With this third album, there’s a lot more confidence, there’s more risks taken, there’s more details in the production. We all developed new skills between two albums, so obviously, like I said before, it’s a time stamp that represents where we are right now. It sounds more complete, in my opinion. It’s difficult to pick my favourite song off the record, it changes so much. They each have something special about them. At this moment, it’s Upside Down, both because I love the song, but because of the memories attached to it from the tour too.”
As mentioned previously, the band are preparing for their next tour cycle alongside the new album once it’s out. Without giving away too much, Melissa closed out the interview with a lot of hope and optimism. “We’re confirming lots of new concerts, festivals, and probably two tours, we have a lot more days to announce soon, so we’re looking forward to set it in stone and to finally be able to announce it. There’s a lot of people who are like, ‘hey, where are you going to come to ‘insert name of country here’?’ and I cannot say just yet. But we are looking forward to that. When we create something, we always wonder if the people, the fans who already knew the music before this record will enjoy it as much. Then, if there’s going to be new people discovering the band through this new music, we hope they’ll like this first taste of us.”
Chapter III – Downfall is out now via Napalm Records.
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