Warp Prism’s newest release “The Infinite II” is massively magnificent, like the Milky Way. The “II” part signifies that its the second chapter to the conceptual space journey Warp Prism has crafted their art around. This design is transmitted through layers of guitar groovatrons, unusual noises and all the uber drum and bass future space travelers can handle.
Musically, Warp Prism is right up there with the biggest names in the genre(s). Being prog-djent-experimental-groove-hard rock-metal, presumingly. One of the many things that sets them apart from the rest is the variety of vocal styles used to deliver their story. Yells, high range cleans, growls, power screams, hard-rock strains, chilling distant harmonies, shrills and everything in between. What’s the story you ask? Kevin Suter, of Warp Prism, describes the concept that binds “Infinite I” and “Infinite II.”
“The Infinite I – The young man is aboard a ship, traveling to a new system to colonize a new planet with his people. The ship has an energy reactor meltdown and the ship explodes, breaking apart and releasing the crew members out into the vacuum of space.While floating there, in the darkness, life fading from him, the young man begins to relive his past memories as they flash before him – he hears a dark voice calling to him, but alas, hypoxia sets in, snuffing out the remaining “fire” from him.
The Infinite II – The young man begins to feel his consciousness once again, or so it would seem – as the darkness whispers to him once again, calling him to wake up and inherit the darkness.In this universe, the cold, dark expanse of “space” is in fact an entity named “void” that oversees time – but he is fading, and he needs someone to inherit his place.The young man is chosen, and his “life” is “kindled” back into him, although only as a conscious entity – not as a physical form.Through his struggles to understand what is going on around him, he questions himself and his motives, regrets his past actions and longs for the loved ones he no longer has.”
If that doesn’t entice you intergalactic metal heads then I don’t know what will. “The Infinite II” is a musical black hole…trust me, many of times my aim was to review this album, but an hour would pass and there I was just bobbing my head while reading the lyrics. To anyone interested in the lyrical aspect of Warp Prism, this translation key may help you decipher the code.
FIRE generally used to imply life, but is sometimes referred to as a destructive entity.
COLD is almost always used to imply death.
DARKNESS is typically referring to sadness, depression, sorrow, and the flaws we have as a people.
COLOR is used to imply self-observation and re-construction – meaning to observe and better oneself by “refining the palette”.
All of these implications and metaphors are told through the vaguely hinted at story of a young man who is involved in a tragic accident.
“The Infinite II” is broken into three parts.
“As the first section of the album comes to a close, the void begins to tell him that he must become the observer, and carry on in his footsteps. This revelation of foresight overwhelms him, and he begins to descend into madness.
The middle section is his struggle to overcome this wealth of information and responsibility, and ultimately as the section concludes he succeeds and “reaches the surface” of his sorrow and despair.
The last section of the album consists of him trying to “fit in” to this role he’s been unwillingly put in, and finally resolves with him deciding that it is unjust for anyone to sit in a throne of responsibility over the universe and as such, he forfeits himself, leaving the universe with no “overseer” and allowing humanity to choose its own path.” – Kevin Suter
The lyrics aren’t the only thing carrying the “black-hole effect”. The deep rhythms and changing patterns are so heavy on the mind, when mixed with alluring production this album and dangerously abducting. Listen close and you may taste some “2112.” “The Infinite II” is a whopping 78 minutes long, basically pushing the boundaries of what a standard compact disc can store and what the mind can handle. With so many stand out verses meshed into extended segments of evolutionary song structure it is difficult to pinpoint the beautiful specifics that litter every track. The task of trying to grasp this entire album falls slightly short of humanity trying to discover every inch of our superlative universe.
Warp Prism delivers the difficulties that few bands can, like the time signature shifts and polyrhythms of Meshuggah, the oddness of Devin Townsend but with the semblance of an alien God who observes it all. Some of my favorite areas of the album are “Frozen Sun – Lapse” and “Silent Sea – Palette.” Quite mind-boggling it is to imagine where Warp Prism can go from here. I assure satisfaction from “The Infinite II”. $7 on bandcamp for 78 minutes of mesmerizing exploratory music is an absolute fucking joke!
– Tyler Dermitt
