Album Review: The Black Queen - Infinite Games

Although featuring the former frontman of Dillinger Escape Plan (RIP), Greg Puciato, any devotees anticipating something of that ilk from Infinite Games may be left looking as puzzled as when they saw the ending of The Sixth Sense for the first time. Instead, for the uninitiated, Los Angeles electronic outfit The Black Queen's second full-length bristles with synth-heavy sounds that exude a dark and foreboding approach to pop music.

Arena-packing or chart-topping stardom seems unlikely, but Puciato is clearly enjoying a new lease on life here, and collaborators Joshua Eustis and Steven Alexander are of a similar musical modus operandi. Puciato's vocals can be haunting, moody and outright melodic, depending on the sonic palette that's afforded to him, but an eerie sensibility is retained throughout. Note No Accusations, which incorporates an almost Nine Inch Nails-like musical flavour with a morbid lyrical outlook. Carefully crafted in regard to layering and arrangements, there's a bleak, cold vibe lurking throughout much of the album that keeps the listener just slightly off their game. Somehow, the fusion of 100 To Zero's ambience and the atmospheric soundscapes of Your Move mesh with the Depeche Mode-esque pop hooks of Lies About You and Spatial Boundaries' more accessible sheen.

This album may be an acquired taste and it does feel overly repetitious in spots. However, if you're of the appropriate mindset and prepared to invest some time, Infinite Games is an industrialised trip worth taking.