AFTERIMAGE: "II: Beyond Horizons Infinite" (June 3rd 2022, Steel Gallery Records)

Four years after their debut, the Afterimage return with their new work, entitled “II: Beyond Horizons Infinite”. Changes in the band’s members and the addition of a third guitar, gave the chance to Afterimage to evolve their sound and the result is this amazing album in review.

Fortunately for me, the sophomore work of Afterimage is pretty self-explanatory. All I want to achieve, through this review, is to convince you to give this small gem of power/progressive music a chance. The Afterimage is a band of the underground power/progressive scene that has really something to offer to the genre. With fresh ideas and incredible compositions, they are definitely one of the most promising upcoming bands.

First and foremost, the sonic options that the addition of a third guitar offers are put into action. It’s not just a fancy approach that seems interesting in paper, the third guitar adds that extra edge and style to the sound, making in it an absolute delight. The riffs sound massive, and the lead guitar lines-usually double- feel incredibly vivid, while at the same time the rhythmic section is a solid and steady foundation. Talking about the foundation, I need to make clear that the Afterimage’s rhythmic section is simply stunning and thanks to the great work that was done during production, it absolutely shines through. The creative, punchy, prominently placed bass lines, the technical drum work characterized by musicality and the epic, powerful role of the rhythm guitar, work wonders.

The “II: Beyond Horizons Infinite”, genre wise speaking, is a record that walks elegantly between power and progressive metal. It is influenced by the late 80s and the whole 90s era, leaning always towards the U.S scene. Such a song that completely abandons the progressive influences is the track “Morgana” that presents the U.S power metal sound at its finest. Melodically ominous, with an essence of mystery and epic riffs, it really stands out as a composition both in terms of aesthetic and quality. Afterimage create a fast paced album, that only slows down to build up tension before it explodes in a powerful power/progressive track, like it happens in the song “Newborn Horizons”, which is, also, one of my personal favorites, along with the aforementioned “Morgana” and the unique sounding, neo-progressive “Mirrors”. Particularly, the later with its colorful soundscapes and its post-like, mellow background is a great surprise that showcases the band’s creativity.

Having nothing more to add, I highly recommend and strongly encourage you to listen to “II: Beyond Horizons Infinite”, since it is one of the most interesting and exciting power/progressive releases of the summer.