Progressive LA Rockers Sifting are back with another impressive offering through their new album, The Infinite Loop. From the stables of Eclipse Records, I reviewed their first (Eclipse) album Not From Here a couple of years ago and was blown away. The album received critical acclaim from press & radio alike, landing in Top 10 Most Added on Metal Contraband, Top 5 best Venezuelan Rock Metal Albums of 2017 by Cresta Metalica, and the Top 100 Best Metal Albums of 2017 here at Sentinel Daily. After a live performance on the popular Dante Night Show, the band were invited to open for Tarja in Quito, Ecuador. Shortly thereafter, they landed numerous tours throughout 2017 and 2018 with Prong, Sons of Apollo, Felix Martin, Powerflo, Dayshell, and Eyes Set To Kill.
Not From Here was my introduction to this amazing band and when I saw the press release that they were releasing another on us, I just had to get it. But would it live up to the heady heights of the acclaimed first album on the Eclipse label?
In 2019, the band brought on Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence, Poison the Well) to produce the new album along with Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist) who handled mixing and mastering duties.
Wins Jarquin is back handling the bass duties along with a couple of new members since the original recording Joey Aguirre (drums) and Xavi Leon (guitar). However, this is Eduardo Osuna Gil’s band, he is the lead guitarist and singer and that brings a familiarity to The Infinite Loop. While Not From Here hinted at their progressive roots, The Infinite Loop leaves no doubt when kicking off with the almost eleven minute epic, Agony. And that’s not the longest track…
Agony kicks off with a melodic intro and truly belies what is waiting for you on the other side of a minute. A Rage-like grooving riff that hooks you right in and before you know it two minutes have gone and the Eduardo Gil’s voice kicks in and you know you are travelling along with Sifting. Edu’s voice is still full of anguish and passion, but underneath it I can hear the smile he has on his face it comes out in his voice. There are a lot of melodic breakdowns, timing shifts and harmonic and aggressive solos before almost a take on the US anthem infuses the track leading to the final act of the song which brings ten minutes to a very pleasant close.
Next up is the breakneck A Critical Affair, which is the first single and a relatively shot song that only clocks in at five minutes. This is a rollicking five minutes of fun that has a up tempo beat that rarely lets up. Still combining some progressive breakdowns this is a perfect track to unleash on the public to sell the new album and shows Sifting at their peak.
Enough is a great track, a slower but powerful song that resonates with me. Eduardo’s voice pleads with me as the listener, telling me that it’s not enough… This is what really hooks me into the Sifting albums is the scope and depth of their tracks and the diversity they show from song to song.
Stop Calling Me Liberty kicks off with riffs and licks that are similar to something you may hear on a Megadeth track. Then the Sifting roots start to shine out and the track powers along for around seven and a half minutes including insane solos, harmonic arpeggiations, and an almost acoustic breakdown. The track lyrics are very much a statement about society and the concept of liberty being adulterated to the first world elites in a different growl from Eduardo.
The Fifth Element is high energy instrumental track that showcases the songwriting chops of the band and their ability to write great riffs and tell a story without words.
What If is next up and is one of my favourite tracks off the album, a four and a half minute easy listener. It has some great hooks and a chorus that sees me humming and rocking along with.
The album finishes off strongly with a range of songs – To Who I Am, Ghost of A Lie that features Derek Sherinian (Sons of Apollo, Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, KISS) on keyboards and the penultimate track, Emotionless Shells. Rounding off the album is the title track, The Infinite Loop, which comes in at around thirteen minutes. This track is gargantuan in its nature, kicking in with an eighties style intro and harmonic licks before a rhythmic drumbeat starts accompanying it making if feel grandiose. The song ranges through several timing changes, has a feel of multiple songs within one that is stitched together seamlessly. A fitting finish to another top notch album.
While it doesn’t astound me as much as Not From Here, I think because I’ve come to expect this level of skill from these guys, The Infinite Loop is a brilliant follow up and shows Sifting are here to stay for the long term.
I find myself just letting it play through again and again…
The Infinite Loop will be released worldwide on September 27th, 2019 via Eclipse Records. Grab a copy and immerse yourself in some fine music from these guys.
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