Originally launched as a solo project by vocalist Melissa Bonny, Ad Infinitum is a full-fledged band that is on the rise and picking up momentum. At the time of this writing, they were wrapping up the latest European leg of Kamelot's Awaken The World Tour as the third band on a bill of four, and it was clear they have garnered a loyal fanbase over the last four years. 

It's a safe bet they will earn more followers over the next year as they hit the road in support of their new album, Abyss, a dark modern metal opus that flirts with progressive, pop and death elements to create a listening experience that is either captivating or grating depending on how open-minded you are. See Ad Infinitum live on stage, however, and the smart money is on the former.

The fact that Melissa has guested on songs by Kamelot, Powerwolf, Feuerschwanz and Eluveitie - and joined Dark Side Of The Moon - has only added to the interest surrounding Ad Infinitum, as has her participation in the Rock Meets Classic tour in 2020 and as a guest vocalist on Kamelot's last few tours.

"I try to stay away from too many collaborations," she admits. "I still love to collaborate with other artists, especially if I love the music or they're friends of mine and I love the music (laughs), but I have to turn things down now just to have time for myself. There's so much happening, and Ad Infinitum is taking so much time every day. It's just a question of balance and sanity (laughs): I've been to some points where I felt like I was drowning, and I don't want to go there again."

That said, Melissa found the time earlier this year to throw everyone a curveball earlier this year and release a pop rock track, "Gravitate".

"It's been a while that I wanted to do something on my own that I can't do with Ad Infinitum or Dark Side Of The Moon," says Melissa. "I love music, I love metal, and there is a lot that I can do with Ad Infinitum, but there are some things that just wouldn't fit that I still want to do. I had a lot of fun writing a few songs, and this was the first release. I don't know exactly which form this will take, but I definitely want to do more."

Diehard fans are aware that Ad Infinitum was launched while Melissa was a member of Rage Of Light. Many people discovered her through the band's malevolent cover of Amon Amarth's "Twilight Of The Thunder God", which led them to her solo cover songs on YouTube, which in turn was a stepping stone to Melissa's original compositions under the Ad Infinitum moniker. Her success with the band is a perfect "never say never" story.        

"I had a good time with Rage Of Light, but it wasn't exactly my taste or coming from my influences," Melissa explains. "I was always sort of adapting to what everyone wanted; it was John's (Pellet) project and I only had so much influence on the music. So, when I created Ad Infinitum, I didn't want to quit Rage Of Light, I just wanted to do my thing as well. I started to spend a lot of time, energy and resources on Ad Infinitum, and I thought it would be a tragedy not to create a band out of it. Not just me and hired guns, but me and people who actually care about the music. With 'Gravitate', it was a case of wanting to explore some different things while my focus remains on Ad Infinitum because I'm still doing exactly what I want with my guys."

Ad Infinitum have come into their own only over the last year or two, but they have released a whopping four albums in five years. Melissa chalks it up to the global pandemic that stopped the world in its tracks in 2020, and being almost completely focused on the band since then.

"There's not a day that doesn't have something to do with Ad Infinitum," she says. "When we started there was the pandemic, so we couldn't play live shows, and there was a lot of time that was spent at home where we normally would have been on the road. We had a lot of time to write music. That's probably why the first three records were so close to each other. Now we're spending more time on the road, but also, we found the time to write a new record because the evolution of where we are now compared to when we wrote the third record is very far apart. We wanted to write something soon enough that represent where we are now as musicians and music lovers. That's why we weren't in a hurry, but eager to do something new. I definitely think there will be more time between this record and the next one."

Abyss stands apart from Ad Infinitum's first three albums for a number of reasons. The artwork alone suggests that something has changed. The songs are darker and heavier, and more adventurous compared to their previous outings due to the very intentional departure from using certain elements in their music.

But fear not: Melissa's growl is still very much a part of the Ad Infinitum sound

"For the third album we met for one week and we worked remotely. For album #4 we met twice, and there was work done remotely in between. We definitely wrote more together, all in the same room, and we actually selected those ideas over some demos that we had done individually. We played a lot with the dynamics and different intensities a lot more than we did before. There are a lot of parts where there are just a few elements happening, and then the full band comes in; that's something we haven't done very much of in the past."

"One of the big changes that we made was that we didn't include any symphonic elements. There are some here and there, but not full the orchestra like we did before. It's not that we decided 'No more symphonic elements...,' we asked ourselves 'Do those elements serve the songs?' The answer was no, and that's why everything on the album is more pure and to the point. That's what makes it heavier."

"We just wrote with different goals and aspirations. When we meet, we listen to a lot of music to see where we want to go with the album. You can hear a lot of influences from different genres of music on this album, especially some pop influences. That was just natural, and when you don't have the symphonic stuff happening, everything else is much more visible. There's a much bigger spotlight on the band. That can be very bad or very good (laughs), so there was a little bit more pressure, but if you manage to do it there's more power behind the music and more place to every element in the music to shine. I think we accomplished that."

Asked if the band's experiences touring on the Amaranthe / Beyond The Black / Butcher Babies package in 2023, and with Kamelot and HammerFall in 2024, had an influence on how Abyss turned out - cliché question with a built-in answer - Melissa says the live stage did leave its mark on the band.

"Yes, and in terms of the dynamics of the songs, we know a little bit better which kinds of songs we enjoy playing on stage, and what kind of reactions we get. The Amaranthe tour, that was a very diverse package. I think it was the best possible tour for us to start with because we were playing in front of thousands of people all over Europe, and we had to convince them we can do a good job. We did the best we could and it really opened some doors for us."

As for calling the new album Abyss, Melissa reveals there is a very specific reason for it, and that Ad Infinitum is playing the long game with their new music.

"We've done Chapter I: Monarchy, II: Legacy and III: Downfall, which were connected in that they were all influenced by history. We wanted to step away from that but still offer a new trilogy, so we decided to go more personal by basing the songs on personal experiences and emotions. We sorted those ideas out into three albums, and Abyss is the darkest of them. The fears, the demons, stuff like that."

Meaning fans can expect another trilogy....

"Yes, but it not just planned out in our heads (laughs). We've done the work for the next three records; not all the songs are written, but we've been working on the visuals for the artwork and the videos. If you watch the videos, you will see that there are Easter eggs that connect the songs. The goal is to have this connection through the whole trilogy. It's the same for the artwork, so we had to inform the people that work with us of what are going to do for the next three records (laughs). We know there are people that will only listen to the singles, or just listen to the music, but there are fans that will dig into our work. We want to keep it interesting for those people so they can connect the dots."

(Top photo - Stefan Heilemann / live photos - Carl Begai)