Two years after the remarkable effort of "Pray", the German gothic metallers CREMATORY decided to make a step forward and go back to their past with their ultimate album "Infinity". The title of the album is simple and massive (like they used to), but the differences inside the content are obvious and vary. Lets see, step by step, if "Infinity" has the strength to repatriate the old 'Metal' fans and hold the recent 'gothic' ones in.

The self-titled track opens the album, being the total CREMATORY-esque song showing its teeth from the very beginning and also, the whole feeling of nowadays' CREMATORY: atmospheric keyboards that fill every musical corner (as always do), catchy melodies and easy hooks with Mr. Stass as a leader who covers every vocal space with his growly and clarion voice. Well, where is the difference? As you can hear, the guitars are sharing the melodic sonic background as equal as the keyboards do, a fact that we had heard since the "Awake" album. The Metal attitude of the band is spread everywhere and make its presence noticeable in every opportunity; and this you can feel in the entire 46 minutes of the album. For example, "Where Are You Now?" dares to have a unique metallic character reminding faintly the Swedish melodic Death Metal scene, while "No One Knows" carries the genuine German guitar riffing (exception is the PARADISE LOST -esque chorus).

The pattern of catchy songs is repeated the same way as in "Pray"; so, we have 4 or 5 songs in a row (including the excellent cover in DEPECHE MODE's "Black Celebration") with characteristic themes that can twist in your mind for many days (I can't define how many). You see, the similarities between "Sense Of Time" (the answer to the past "Left The Ground"), "Out Of Mind" and "Never Look Back" are so many- talking about the musical structure and the melodic tunes- in a way that the comparisons are inevitable.

Another thing we can observe in "Infinity" is the space given to Matthias Hechler as co-singer in many parts, but with milder, smoother and melodic vocals, making the ideal contrast with Stass' growling. This is brand new in CREMATORY's sound ("Pray" was the outrider though) and since I am not used to it, it seems a little strange. Hechler has many vocal skills (as I discovered at last year's live performance in Greece) but I am not sure if they fit right in the Germans' style, with main enemy to make it more pop(ular), trade, so, less Metal.

Including myself in CREMATORY's die-hard fans, unfortunately I have to say that "Infinity" was not what I expected from them to release after the latest bombastic "Pray" CD and that happened because I have demands; I agree that it is more 'Metal' than every CREMATORY album in the 00's (copying a bit the RAMMSTEIN recipe in some songs), but I found it more weaker, in a musical and structural sense. I liked the attempt to give more space in the English lyrics and the aggressive guitars too, but the rest is uninspired for my taste and after days and days of listening, the fund is empty. Till next one, I'll put my favorite "Act Seven" (the covers' similarities are obvious) in the CD player for once more and I'll retrace their past 'seal' scent and glory...