photo by Devin Tolman
The Portland progressive and technical death metal band expands the release of its third full-length with physical editions following the album’s surprise digital arrival.
Portland progressive death metal outfit ÆNIGMATUM have expanded the release of their third full-length album, Infinitude’s Passage, with physical editions now available through 20 Buck Spin.
The CD and LP versions follow the label’s earlier surprise digital release of the album, which is also streaming across digital platforms. Infinitude’s Passage marks ÆNIGMATUM’s third studio album and follows the band’s previous full-length, Deconsecrate.
Rather than abandoning the technical foundation of its predecessor, ÆNIGMATUM pushes further into a combination of progressive structures, technical death metal, melody and dissonance across the record. The compositions move through abrupt rhythmic changes, fast passages and more spacious melodic sections while maintaining the heavier foundation at the center of the band’s sound.
The result continues ÆNIGMATUM’s approach to death metal as something built around both physical intensity and intricate composition. Infinitude’s Passage uses shifting arrangements and contrasting textures throughout, moving between aggressive sections and passages that allow melody and atmosphere to take a more prominent role.
The album was created through a multi-stage recording process involving several engineers and studios.
Charlie Koryn engineered the drums with Aidan Stutzman assisting with drum tracking at Elektric City. Pierce Williams handled pre-production as well as guitar and vocal recording, while Brian Rush engineered the bass and bass clarinet sessions. Patrick Corona was responsible for engineering the saxophone recordings.
Colin Marston reamped, mixed and mastered Infinitude’s Passage at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves. Marston’s credits include work associated with Krallice and Gorguts. Additional reamping was completed by Keith Merrow at Merrowsound Studios.
The album’s visual presentation involved another group of collaborators. Daniel Hermosilla created the cover artwork, while Marcus Kempton contributed liner art. The ÆNIGMATUM logo was created by Logan Williams and Connie Wang, with Matt Oien handling the layout.
The expanded instrumental palette heard across the project reflects the band’s current lineup as well. Kelly McLaughlin contributes vocals, guitar and bass clarinet, joined by guitarist Eli Lundgren, bassist and backing vocalist Brian Rush, and drummer Pierce Williams, who also contributes synths and backing vocals. Patrick Corona adds saxophone, with Danny Quetzal providing additional backing vocals.
By incorporating instruments such as saxophone and bass clarinet alongside the traditional guitar, bass and drum framework of death metal, Infinitude’s Passage gives ÆNIGMATUM additional ways to build texture around its dense arrangements without moving away from the aggressive core of the record.
With the album already available digitally and its physical editions now in circulation, Infinitude’s Passage represents the latest stage in ÆNIGMATUM’s progression from Deconsecrate while further developing the technical, melodic and experimental elements of the Portland group’s sound.
Album Information
ÆNIGMATUM — Infinitude’s Passage
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Format: Digital, CD and LP
Album: Third full-length studio release
Band Lineup
Kelly McLaughlin — vocals, guitar, bass clarinet
Eli Lundgren — guitar
Brian Rush — bass, backing vocals
Pierce Williams — drums, synths, backing vocals
Patrick Corona — saxophone
Danny Quetzal — backing vocals
Production Credits
Drum Engineering: Charlie Koryn
Drum Tracking Engineer Assistant: Aidan Stutzman at Elektric City
Pre-Production, Guitar and Vocal Recording: Pierce Williams
Bass and Bass Clarinet Engineering: Brian Rush
Saxophone Engineering: Patrick Corona
Reamping, Mixing and Mastering: Colin Marston at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves
Additional Reamping: Keith Merrow at Merrowsound Studios
Artwork: Daniel Hermosilla
Liner Art: Marcus Kempton
Logo: Logan Williams / Connie Wang
Layout: Matt Oien
Leave a Reply