The latest chart entry from Infected Rain "Me Against You" has a nice, melodic, classic metal intro that opens unassumingly and gently; then crashes full throttle through your speakers and into your face like a jackhammer.
The first time you set eyes on the band you'll probably be expecting another chick rock sensation but Infected Rain are far from the overly manufactured metal many of us have grown accustomed to.
Their style is an energetic blend of some of the best modern metal styling’s with a little Korn, Soulfly, Deftones, Kittie, and with a hint of something a little darker and heavier. It reminds me of some of the really good in your face metal of the early 90's and if you like your metal you'll be yearning for a pit before the first chorus kicks in.
I'll start a little differently than usual and head straight to the music. The music is mind-blowingly good and I can't wait to role these crashing riffs and deafening drums through my stand alone speakers. It's music that screams "11 is louder than 10" and demands it in equal measure. The intro licks are your typical perfected metal intro reminiscent of the greats - Maiden, Dream Theater et al. Then “Me Against You” explodes with uncontrollable energy. It's fast frantic thrash metal at its finest with plenty of distortion driven guitar riffs and perfect cascading, crashing drums and thumping grinding bass.
Then there are the vocals. Now, without being in the slightest bit sexist, good female vocalists are few and far between in metal. Incredible female vocalists in metal are even rarer and Lena is definitely pushing that boundary. Her scream vocals are absolutely mind blowing with a guttural, feral, ferocity that threatens to rupture your eardrums with its intensity. Her scream is perfectly juxtaposed against her edgey, slightly rough but melodic voice and she manages to stream between soft and gentle and rough and guttural. The lyrics are gruff and anthem like with a sharp edge and plenty of depth and tone.
Combine this with the exceptional music and you have a song that is frantic, energetic, melodic and just metal through and through. We love it; it’s raw and aggressive but incredibly well constructed with a faultless, and seamless, progression that keeps the energy alive whilst giving the listener a breather from all out metal! It’s basically bloody good so go and watch "Me Against You" right now.
Oh wait, maybe I should also mention the video. It starts like a video racing game with character selection before turning into a motocross event with the protagonists racing around the track. The band plays in the dust as motorbikes jump over and around them and it’s a great video that plays up the energy of the band perfectly. Now go and watch the video and start throwing the horns.
