Boston’s The Infinity Ring is New England’s best kept secret, a collective who, in a short four years, has risen to the rank of live juggernaut. Though the title of their latest recorded release may indicate otherwise, Ataraxia or the state of tranquillity and calm, it positively lives up to the promise of their incendiary live show. Ataraxia describes the album’s existential and personal state upon completion—a long and arduous path that nearly broke the band in the process. Built across two studios over the course of close to a year, it is an album that represents the exploration, the emotional toll and ultimately the ecstasy of creation. It’s a release that challenged the band to move into new realms and push themselves to the brink—musically, emotionally, creatively and spiritually. The Infinity Ring is a collective united under the banner of experimentalism. The band draws from musicians long active in disparate scenes within the Boston musical underground, incorporating influences that range from metal to crust punk to industrial to electronic scenes. Their music is inspired by the liberty found in acts like Leonard Cohen, This Mortal Coil, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Can, Amon Düül, Faust, Current 93, etc. What began in 2020 as an experimental take on dark folk music with added elements of drone and noise eventually grew to incorporate no wave, post-metal, and black metal, with elements of occult and spiritualism throughout—adhering to none but reminiscent of all.
