BARE INFINITY – The Butterfly Raiser (2017)
Released today March 3 “The Butterfly Raiser” is the new album from Greek band BARE INFINITY after more than five years since their last full length effort. There has been many line-up changes and with the entry of new vocalist Ida Elena DeRazza the band has made a significant step forward: his singing, in fact, stands out all over “The Butterfly Raiser”, one of the stars on the record.
Musically, Bare Infinity has a sympho female-fronted foundation, however in terms of sound, I found “The Butterfly Raiser” more close to melodic metal than anything.
Starting with ‘Race Of Destiny’ it soon becomes clear what kind of stuff this band develops throughout the record; massive guitars, punchy rhythm section, and strong vocals fortunately not ‘operatic’.
Check this song’s video below, it certainly shows what Bare Infinity are all about:
One of the most interesting cuts on the CD is ‘Artemis’, a song with a more midtempo pace and Celtic flavors, followed by the ethereal ‘Reaching For The Sun’, a great showcase for Ida’s pipes.
The band turn things pretty wicked with ‘In Desertis’, and as its title explains it has certain Middle East melodies. Ida alternates his lead vocals in this song with Max Morton, a quite solid male singer new to me.
Title track ‘The Butterfly Raiser’ is another good one mixing strong riffs and a more relaxed, progressive part. ‘Hear Me Out’ provides a much more modern feel with some flashy keyboard / guitar interplay, while ‘Orion’s Light’ brings to mind the very early Nightwish when they rocked.
Rounding out this entertaining record we find a muscular, potent melodic metal infused track on ”Devil’s Call’, while closer ‘The Sword, The Stone And The Wolf’ is the epic piece here, the only track on the album where the band take the time to showcase their skills via busy arrangements and tempo shifts in a true progressive manner.
Much better than I expected – there’s so much Nightwish clones out there – “The Butterfly Raiser” is a very solid record from Bare Infinity, rich in melodies and power riffs.
What I liked about these Greeks is their ‘melody craft’ with a classic melodic metal in mind, although they sound very modern and clean. And of course, Ida Elena DeRazza’s vocals shine, with a true powerful attack avoiding unnecessary ‘acrobatics’.
Strongly Recommended
01 – Race of Destiny
02 – Artemis
03 – Reaching for the Sun
04 – In Desertis
05 – The Butterfly Raiser
06 – Sands of Time
07 – Hear Me Out
08 – Orion’s Light
09 – Ashes
10 – Robins Eyes
11 – The Devils Call
12 – The Sword, the Stone, and the Wolf
Ida Elena DeRazza: Vocals
Thomas Papadopoulos: Guitar
Steve Davis: Guitar
guests:
Albert Dannenmann (ex- Blackmore’s Night)
Ioannis Maniatopoulos (TriStateCorner)
Max Morton (Morton Band)
Sarah Wolf (AfterTime)
BUY IT !
www.bareinfinity.net/product-page/the-butterfly-raiser
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