Infected Rain has been busting down the door for female fronted progressive metal since 2008. Since their debut album release Endorphin, in 2019 they are now back with their sophomore release titled Ecdysis, out January 7, 2022! Fronted by Lena Scissorhands, she is an emerging force and has been on the rise as one of the “leading-ladies” of metal; and rightfully so, as she has tornado like guttural vocals and sky shattering clean vocal abilities! The powerhouse vocals are supported by heavy bass and percussive grooves that progressive metal fans will love, as well as haunting synthesizers, and melodic guitar lines mixed perfectly by producer Voluta Valentin. This twelve track album covers a variety of lyrical themes, and is surely something that you will not want to miss! 

Some of my favorites on Ecdysis:

“Postmortem Pt.1”- Easing into the first track with a piano line riding over a synth track so flawlessly fused together it will put you in a trance, then bam, Lena’s impressive gutterrol’s will hit you in the face! The heavy bass and percussion showcases the progressive edge the band has to offer and is sure enough to get everyone moving! There is a moment of peace and calmness before the chorus breaks in and Lena lets loose with her strong clean vocals. This formatting pattern continues throughout the track up until the very end when the song reaches its peak and then finally subsides off into the distance. 

“Fighter”- Breaking in with fast electronic and voices this intro wastes no time kicking down the wall with a heavy bass and percussion groove running throughout up until 3:12, then the tune totally changes moods: light sixteenth note guitar guitar line, high hat percussive accents and silky clean vocals. It then changes back to its original groove and is a rising force to 4:45 and then fades away with guitar tone.

“The Realm of Chaos”- A spoken word message by Heidi Shepherd of Butcher Babies consumes the beginning of the track. This is a feisty duet that everyone was eager to see happen, and it does not disappoint! Once the song kicks in, the rhythmical flow builds as the song progresses, it features brisk chromatic chord changes with the guitars in the pre chorus and has a tasty hard hitting percussive energy in the chorus sure to get everyone’s attention. The dual vocals by two of the best in female fronted metal make this tune perfect, and surely something you won’t forget! 

“November”- Arguably one of the most diverse tracks on this record that begins with a cassette tape being put into a player; it then illuminates 43 seconds of electro-synth pop beats at the beginning of the tune that will put anyone in a whimsical state of mind. This song features many melodic characteristics including lead guitar lines hovering over the mix in the chorus as well as the highlights of Lena’s glass shattering clean vocals. 

“Never The Same”- Following in the footsteps of November, it features a lot of the same melodic highlights. It is the shortest track on this album, standing at only three minutes in length. But, don’t let that fool you, as it wastes no time in showing you what it has to offer. Showcasing a heavy melodic bass and percussive groove throughout most of the song, it then changes to a contradictory mellow tone the one minute for the pre chorus. This tune does an excellent job mixing heavy and dainty, as you can hear a synth tone meant to mimic orchestral strings riding over Lena’s guttural vocals. 

“Nine, Ten”- Radiating peacefulness and tranquility, this track has a much different realm of nature compared to the others on this album. There are no extreme gutorrol vocals, or heavy build-up of instrumentals used within this song, at it is used as a calmness before Postmortem Pt. 2. It is truly such a beautiful piece that is enough to put anyone in a soothing state of mind with just the use of clean vocals and synthesized sounds.

“Postmortem Pt. 2”- A perfect hard hitting heavy tune to end an amazing album! It has moments of peaks and valleys intertwined with different low end rhymical changes. It begins with a soft overtone and then builds up with synth and bass.The chorus is belted out with cleans and also features guttural vocals. When the tune takes a turn for a softer approach, it showcases technical guitar patterns. Fading off to end the album are Lena’s hauntingly beautiful echoed vocals. 

This album is a force to be reckoned with! It showcases the many musical elements that Infected Rain has to offer such as: both clean and guttural vocal styles, a heavy bass and percussive groove, cosmic synthesizer sounds, melodic guitar lines, and much more presented with exceptional emotion and charisma! Pick up your copy of Ecdysis out January 7, 2022!

I’m Music Magazine Writer Angelica Bohurjak