“Infinity Ends” – The last album by BLIND ALLEY still has a firm hold on my CD-player every now and then and now they’re back, these lightly progressive Swedes. 

The sound is still characterized by atmospherical melody lines in the vein of CITA or GUILD OF AGES with the aforementioned progressive parts. Overall, the album has a pretty good A.O.R. feel to it, hence the categorization as symphonic A.O.R. 

The one thing, or should I say the TWO things that I don’t like here, are:  

1) The production job is just too amateurish – I’m thinking of the mixing in particular. Guitars and drums seem to be fatally under-produced while vocals and keys have the “right sound”.  

2) Their incorporation of Phrygian-styled chord progressions, leading the sound towards more exotic coasts really doesn’t fit their sound if you ask me. These chord progressions are often used in Thrash and hardcore Prog. And although not being evident all the time these progressions are, however, present in the sound. 

On the bright side of things, I really do love the immediacy of i.e. “Fire & Ice” which is so typical A.O.R. sounding, I’d just wish BLIND ALLEY would stick to one way of executing their sound.  

Overall, this album is top-notch if you’re dedicated to that Swedish way of playing, but hardly an album that’ll win the race for “album of the year”.