Musical evolution is a beautiful thing when allowed to flourish, cast free of modern constraints and expectations to let the metaphorical wings rise and sweep the band and their music into unchartered, exciting territory.
So it is for Swiss/German metal outfit AD Infinitum as they prepare to unveil their new album, Abyss, on October 11.
Since setting the tone with their debut album Chapter I: Monarchy in 2020, AD Infinitum have allowed their creativity to dictate terms, following that album up with Chapter I: Revisited, which was an acoustic take on their debut.
While favouring symphonic undertones throughout their career, AD Infinitum have maintained a steady attraction towards the harder side of the spectrum, culminating in Abyss which reveals a whole new side to AD Infinitum's sonic arsenal, refining their sound and expectations to create what is said to be their most dynamic, modern and progressive record to date.
HEAVY caught up with drummer Niklas Muller to find out more.
"First of all, I think the most important part about this album is we stepped away from the symphonic side of things," he measured. "That was a huge part of our music for the first three albums. It was not an initial choice where we said no, we don't want to do it any more, and we will do it with an entire other production, it was more we said we don't wanna have it just for the sake of having it. We just want to see where the music leads us, and it just so happened when we wrote the first songs in our song camp we realised there was not really the need for orchestral elements. We managed to create soundscapes and nice atmospheres without those instruments. We thought it would be too much and over the top to now add the orchestral elements. It was not an initial choice that we step away from symphonic metal, it just happened in the writing process. This is the biggest musical part that changed. On the other hand, I have a feeling that we grew up a little bit (laughs). It's like, when you continue to write music, you change. It feels like we think way, way more about every little part of a song than we did on previous albums. I'm not saying that we didn't think at all about the early music (laughs). It's like we are questioning more on this album. We already did that with Chapter III when we had the songwriting camp… I think this is also the biggest part why we are questioning that much, because we were all in the same room together writing songs, which wasn't the case with Chapter I and Chapter II because we were living so far apart. I think this just led to the next steps."
In the full interview, Niklas expressed excitement about sharing the album with their fans and playing it live in Europe and the US, with hopes of eventually performing in Australia. Niklas also discussed the evolution of AD Infinitum's music, particularly the shift away from symphonic elements.
We discussed the concept behind the next album trilogy, with Abyss representing a dark state of mind as opposed to the next two, Surface and Elysium, which symbolise healing and happiness. He also discussed the band's creative process, future direction, and the shift away from symphonic metal, but he remained non-committal as to whether the band would travel that path again in the future.
Niklas talked about their upcoming tour with Kamelot, Blackbriar and Frozen Crown as well as next year's tour with Eluveitie and Infected Rain, plus more.