Infected Rain
The Devil’s Dozen – Napalm Records
A good live album should capture the excitement of a feisty performance in all its sweat-soaked, bass-thumping, fist-pumping glory, and Infected Rain’s latest offering The Devil’s Dozen does exactly that. Originally available for a limited period as an online stream, this unique concert now gets the physical release it so thoroughly deserves. Despite the absence of a rabid crowd, Infected Rain deliver a high-octane set that’ll soon have you initiating a mosh pits and sofa dives in your living room. Versatile vocalist Lena Scissorhands pulls various tricks out of her bag, delivering clean singing on the haunting ‘Storm’ before getting lowdown and demonic and unleashing unearthly screams on ‘Stop Waiting’. However, the whole band are on fire and lock in tightly to deliver a crushing beat that’s the perfect vehicle for Lena’s vocal gymnastics, and in tandem they make for an unstoppable force. With a deep and wide discography, Infected Rain call at all points along their 15-year career, while no hollering crowd means we get to hear every note the band play, and when that band is Infected Rain in full-flight, that’s a real bonus.
Review by Peter Dennis