FROZEN MEMORY still do not hurry and carry on attaching great importance to quality. So it took almost two years after the debut To A Moment From Afar… to release the sophomore entitled Into Infinity.
The stylistic direction got kept but details have changed. Songwriting and arrangements got improved and polished. Was the predecessor dominated by wonderful piano tunes, just underlaid by classic gothrock guitars, Into Infinity turns out to be more acoustically, not missing crunchy guitars, pounding drum work and piano tunes for accents. Above all again the voice of Kathrin Fuchs is waving, clear and very pleasant. Just her singing lines are a bit too much like from a schoolbook and thus predictable.
Surprisingly FROZEN MEMORY start with German lyrics. Especially opening track In Gedanken gets easily stuck in your ears and makes you sing along (refrain reminds me a bit of Janus). When turning over to the English language with the third (Out Of Your Eyes) and fourth track (Into Infinity) it’s like a harsh break, closing with another German song Gemeinsam Einsam (with wonderful introducing solo). Here I wish the band would have decided for only one – the German language.
As there are to find a couple of leanings to the band’s idols, a bit HIM here and Anathema there, the introducing riff to Out Of Your Eyes feels very familiar to me. Maybe Lake Of Tears? It is all legitimate, not copied.
Most outstanding aspect on FROZEN MEMORY are the lyrics, no matter if in German or English. You rarely find such profound and touching ones, reflecting on the mental sentiments of current generation. Lost souls will find their home in it.
As for me I would say the production could have borne more punch, but is though transparent and well-balanced. Nothing more to nag about. That is another great demo release. Way to go!