Following the release of Dancing about Architecture, Infinite disintegrated. Only it wasn't instantaneous; the band, once a musical juggernaut, suffered a slow death.

With the announcement of Eric Quillington's illness, a hereditary disease known as Huntington's, along with the arrival of his 'replacement', Amelia Florentine, theart-rock band seemed to be in a state of transition. It may not be graceful, or even desired by group's traditionally loyal following, but it would be one they survived. Scattered reports of a new album, tentatively titled Light in Motion, further quelled fears of a break-up. Then Wembley happened; a concert intended to be Quillington's final bow to his fans took on far darker undertones when the singer overdosed backstage, mere moments after giving what was to be his last performance. The suicide broke his three surviving bandmates, who scattered into new, forever incomplete lives. And, in time, these changed roles defined them; Greg Oldson, the lonely solo artist, Matt Roberts, the recluse, and Amelia Florentine, the ridiculed keyboardist with melodies of sunshine. The road only stretched onwards, into a grey dawn. As Oldson said, in his typical hope-crushing nature, "People need to stop hoping for a reunion. I mean, Jesus Christ, a sixth album? We can't even muster up the courage to finish the fifth. Every time I record, there's something missing. Someone missing. But I can ignore it. With Matt and Amelia in the room, I can't. And I don't want to relive those memories. I guess I'm just selfish."

But, still, the rumors persisted, if not for a future, then for a finished past. Last summer, Oldson finally relented, and announced that the trio were in the studio, laying the final touches on Light in Motion.

As difficult as the final stretch was, it's beginning was just as labored. In the midst of the media firestorm surrounding his by-now controversial, erratic lifestyle, Eric Quillington went into seclusion, moving in with his girlfriend, pop-star Glamazon, giving out only an occasional interview. Understandable, given his growing health problems, but it's surprising to realize just how easily the man, at one point a rock-star on the same level as Jason Smith and Ryan Ross Hernandez, was willing to give up celebrity. As the former icon faded from public view, he began to view art in a more therapeutic manner. When Infinite reconvened to begin work on new material, Quillington held onto hopes of the new music serving a form of exorcism; pinning down his demons on recording, moving on from them, and living his remaining years in a tranquil mindset. Plans were laid for this to be the most musically complex of Infinite's career; tinted with progressive rock, Light in Motion's melodies would have been a songbook of past memories, a celebration of the band's peaks.

As one can assume, this wasn't the case. As his physical deterioration continued, Quillington's ability to play guitar and keyboards slowly slipped away. With nothing but his voice, the former virtuoso instrumentalist channeled into the album blind fury ('A Kindly Jest') and heartbreaking resignation ('Blotches of Ink'), a shadow of the eccentric, playful young man who had lead Infinite to such dizzying heights. As their former leader began to break in body and soul, the background personalities stepped to the fore. Greg Oldson now found himself in the position he always craved; the chief architect of the band's ever-evolving sound. Whether out of conscience or simple pity, however, the drummer instead directed his energies towards getting one last musical landscape out of Quillington's mind. The result is an album that feels, perhaps for the first time in the band's career, like a work of equals. A harmony ensues, as three voices carry a dying whisper to the finish line.

Edited by user 28 February 2013 14:06:25(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified