INFINITY

While it gets flak for not being as well-crafted as DT's later works, Infinity gets big points in my book for being very, very, fun to listen to. It's a many-layered symphony of technical metal with enough memorable guitar, vocal, trombone, and compositional moments to satisfy fans of heavy music, who will likely eat up Townsend's gigantic sound and effortless variety as a songwriter.

The opening number is a big, lush explosion of sound, giving way to a catchy, vocal driven number which will have the listener tapping their foot and singing along with DT's unique voice instantly. If you're not hooked by then, the haunted-house introduction and stellar riffing of Bad Devil will finish the job. Possibly one of my favorite DT songs, this one has so much crazy stuff happening I find it impossible NOT to get into-- nothing beats a bayou-trombone solo in the middle of a metal song!

The rest of the album is just as good, delivering a huge variety of sounds and songs to enjoy, with DT belting out memorable vocals and very unique guitar work; not to mention giving us a crisp, stellar production. A very fun listen and highly recommended to any considering checking out this exceptionally talented and entertaining artist-- a good first-buy.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 4 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4