Review Summary: Symphonic metal for the masses.
Chapter II - Legacy follows the path of Within Temptation. It is a symphonic metal album with pleasant, commercial melodies. Ad Infinitum tend to highlight pop and catchy choruses rather than blaring horns. It’s a bold move, but the downside is the symphonic portion consequently sounds ordinary and flavourless. The music could have used more dramatic flair for sure, but the album still interests.
Slightly different from Within Temptation, Ad Infinitum use growls more consistently, along with a couple average breakdowns. The guitar is mostly unremarkable, with a few Djent-lite splashes (think Starset), but it’s hardly worth mentioning. The female singer is fantastic and pleasing to hear throughout the album, and is the main reason to listen to this band. They tread well travelled ground, but the musicianship is tight, and the polish of production is squeaky clean. For the most part, songs are surprisingly catchy - there’s only a couple songs that drag.
If you’re a fan of female-fronted symphonic metal, you can’t go wrong with this outing. Amidst so many forgettable symphonic metal acts, Ad Infinitum stand out just enough, mainly thanks to the singer. They’re not making an enormous statement, but their modern sound is practically void of issues. The band know who they are, and their product could appeal to a large audience. Ultimately, the excellent singing and catchy songwriting makes Chapter II - Legacy an engaging album.
