Some have posited that existence is merely a simulation. Perhaps somewhere in deep space, large-eyed grey aliens are gathered around a table seated with some future tech version of optimal virtual reality. In this scenario, all our actions are not our own but rather the result of input commands by some celestial gamers competing against each other in an alternate reality we call Earth or even Gaia. Were this true, it would be a startling revelation of the true doomed, pointless nature of existence; however, in many ways, humanity is indeed a function of some form of simulation, one which has moved the pieces of a chessboard for wild profit and gain for millennia. Self-actualization and realization are the true ways to subvert the power of the dark overlords and their dubious agenda. Art is one of the purest ways to perpetuate such an awakening of the soul as, in its many forms, it transports a person from the mundane and ordinary to another realm altogether. Art communicates deeply and directly with the soul and opens up pathways in our brains that have closed due to the repetition and redundancy of daily life. Personally, it is music that speaks to me on the deepest level providing profound spiritual enrichment and nourishment that is absent from other mediums, at least in comparison to the evolutionary spark to be found in music. Infinity Shred is a fascinating band that makes music that truly grabs the whole of one’s attention leading one hand in hand to another plane, another reality entirely. Composed of a mere three members, a guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer, the band creates massive instrumental music unlike practically any other outfit around. Listening to them is like audio virtual reality where the band provides the soundtrack for an open experience, one determined by creativity and communion with an infinite level of possibility.
Infinity Shred hail from NYC where they started up some twelve years ago. Originally called Starscream, the band experimented with 8-bit hardware electronically to pen songs that fell in line with the genre known as Chiptune. After being forced to change their name due to legal reasons, the band began recording music and expanding their sound beyond such a limiting genre. After releasing three full-lengths, Infinity Shred were picked up by 3Dot Recordings, the label run by members of Periphery, due to their sheer enjoyment and appreciation of the band. Now, the band have released a fourth full-length, Forever, A Fast Life, one that expands upon past ideas and incorporates more of a stout Metal influence within.
Upon first hearing the sounds of “Brutal Luxury,” the lead track, one is immediately pulled in. It is the most arduous of tasks to resist crossing the threshold and entering another world entirely. The music stimulates the mind as if each note and passage hits directly upon key brain receptors effectively activating them when doing so. There is an inherent duality existing within the music between guitar-led and keyboard-driven passages. The guitar-centered parts tend to have a more focused attack while wandering through the keyboard-driven sections, one becomes lost in a sea of ambiance, one that is deeply textured.
It is a vast understatement to proclaim that Infinity Shred create music that is out of the box. Rather, they create lush soundscapes that could lead them to possibly be categorized as a modern Tangerine Dream. They share the ability with that band to lead a listener down what could be deemed as an esoteric journey, one of self-discovery and fulfillment beyond the trappings of the plain day in and day out. The fifth track, “Cranemaker,” over eight minutes in length, is a transformative experience. Guitar swells answer the pensive call of assiduously-performed keyboard melodies. To listen is to truly cross over into a vortex of sound where waves of melodies torrentially swirling abound over, across, and underneath. The following track, “What’s Worth Hiding?” provides feelings of transcendence and resulting hope. The title track has a frantic feel with an infusion of Black Metal into the Progressive Electronic format of the band. “Earth,” the ninth track, is furious yet deeply meditative and stoic.
Listening to Infinity Shred provides one with myriad emotions. These range from a commanding tension to a deep-felt nurturing, and ultimately, to inspiration. The band have refined their sound into one that captures the sharp abrasion of metallic guitar with the ambient hush of keyboards, a sound that defies the boundaries of genre and the normal conventions of a song. If life truly is a simulation, then Infinity Shred provide the most bombastic and revelatory soundtrack to an existence within.
