Amber Sea
Infantile Vision
(Famined Records)
Amber Sea may be new to the spotlight, but they’ve got the sound of an adult act more than comfortable with their instruments. Their Famined debut, Infantile Vision, brings to mind the likes of Between the Buried and Me, Monuments, and A Hero A Fake. Their brand of progressive metal is strongly written, well executed, and complex enough that things virtually do not lose steam at all in the record’s twenty-nine minute length.
Starting with “White Materia: Sideral”, Infantile Vision opens on a soft, haunting note, before launching itself forward into (what turns out to be) a very appropriate introduction to the band’s range and abilities. Though “White Materia: Sideral” isn’t one of the top tracks of the record, it still works wonderfully as a starter to the album. However, it’s in the especially awesome moments found during “Violette”, “Shinigami”, and “Black Materia: Meteor” that Amber Sea really shine during their debut. “Violette” is fueled by speed, “Shinigami” by brutality, and “Black Materia: Meteor” by structure and growth.
As a collective unit, Infantile Vision flows smoothly from track to track, whilst boasting an impressive writing technique and strong work ethic. I wish there had been more to digest than just five chapters, but each song is expansive enough that the record plays like an LP, rather than an EP (which is how it appears on paper). Increase the power just a tad, improve upon the clean vocals ever so slightly, and Amber Sea could be goddamn golden by their next outing. As this one stands, they’re already out the gate and leading with ease. (Nathaniel Lay)
