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Although only four months old, 2026 has already proven to be a massive year for Swiss/German outfit Ad Infinitum. January was a month of preparation for what followed: three tours in three months. February saw the quartet heading to North America for their debut headlining tour with a run of dates on the East Coast of America and Canada (not easy in early February); March brought the band to the Nordic nations and central Europe as special guests of German Gothic-metallers Lord of the Lost; and once Spring broke, the band embarked on a run of ten shows in eleven days for a EU & UK headline tour that brought the band to many cities for the first time, including tonight’s show in Glasgow, where the urge to make a pun about Ad Infinitum vocalist Melissa Bonny’s surname has to be resisted at every turn. Too easy a headline; best leave them for the red-tops.
Opening act Secret Rule have also been busy during the early stages of 2026, with a jaunt overseas to Asia for a mixture of headline shows and support slots with Battle Beast (a fantastic fit for the Italian modern metal outfit if anyone needs a helping hand in what to expect from Secret Rule). All coming after the momentous occasion of the band releasing their tenth studio album, ‘X’, which, as anyone would expect, forms the lion’s share of the short but well-received set.
Tour preparation hardly got off to the best start with drummer Andrea Miazzetto leaving the band, and bassist Sofia Basili unable to make the tour. Enter stage left at such short notice, Diego Divizia and Fabrizio Sclano on drums and bass respectively, joining founding members Angela Di Vincenzo (vocals) and Andy Menario (guitar), and unless you knew about the line-up change, you would hardly have noticed, such is the tightness that the quartet plays with.
The bouncy, energetic set begins with ‘Walking Down the Street’, one of a handful of tracks aired from the aforementioned ‘X’; an album that saw the band ditch some of the symphonic elements of their sound for more of a modern, dynamic feel. A fantastic, catchy chorus, combined with razor-sharp riffage from Andy Menario, and some big hits from Divizia, gives the track a vibrant and punchy edge. Another newer moment, ‘Collapse’, quickly follows on, and the bouncing starts, with the three outfield players all jumping as one. A few times during the set, Angela Di Vincenzo’s vocals spark comparisons with Pat Benatar, especially on ‘The Song of the Universe’, and the chorus of ‘Desperation’, which has a distinct ‘We Live For Love’ vibe to it. Job done.
For a lot of punters, their first encounter with UK act Skarlett Riot would have been on their support slots with Lord of the Lost in late 2025. But Skarlett (AKA Chloe Drinkwater) and the guys have been around for some time now, and judging by the number of Skarlett Riot t-shirts in attendance – and the reception that certain tracks get (‘Paralyzed’ being one) – the band from Scunthorpe have brought their own following with them.
Released in 2016, the ‘Sentience’ EP saw the band develop hugely in both sound and confidence from the 2013 debut album ‘Tear Me Down’, and with ex-bassist Martin Shepherd jumping back on board for this tour only, the band have dusted off material from Shepherd’s era (‘Sentience’ & 2017’s sophomore album ‘Regenerate’) to mix it up with more recent material from albums ‘Invicta’, and ‘Caelestia’.
More of an alt-metal sound to Skarlett Riot, set-opener ‘Chemicals’ features harsh vocals, courtesy of guitarist Dan Oglesby, that perfectly complement Skarlett’s crystal clear vocals, which have grown stronger over the years. ‘Voices’ first appeared on ‘Sentience’, and the more trad-metal feel of the original (the guitars in particular) has developed into a BFMV-influenced moment that gives the neck muscles a bit of a workout. And to bring the mood down a notch or two, the stunning ‘Luminate’ is as close as Skarlett Riot gets to a ballad, a ballad with harsh vocals, though. Skarlett Riot have been quiet since 2024, and new music is overdue. But with the ever-changing landscape that is putting out new music today, who knows what is planned? EP or full-length album? Or, nothing. One thing is for sure, and that is that Skarlett Riot are still an intoxicating live act to be reckoned with.
Wisely discarding the plague masks that the band sported during the early stages of their career (meaning that every beaming smile from guitarist Adrian Thessenvitz can now be seen), Ad Infinitum have grown to become one of the hottest young bands in metal today. Four studio albums (five if you include the acoustic reworking of the solid debut album ‘Chapter I: Monarchy’) in four years highlights the confidence to be found within the band, each a step up from the previous and not just simply thrown out to placate the record company.
Ad Infinitum’s not-so-secret weapon is, of course, the incredible Melissa Bonny on vocals. Recording and touring with Ad Infinitum, guest slots with Feuerschwanz, Warkings, and side-project Dark Side of the Moon, along with live performances with Kamelot, Bonny is the go-to vocalist in metal today. For a very good reason: not only does she impress every single time, regardless of who she is performing with, but she has the range and presence to match the star qualities.
Opening with ‘Upside Down’, from 2023’s ‘Chapter III: Downfall’ gets the crowd moving from the off. One of the catchiest, most commercial moments of the mammoth set, it’s a banger of a set-opener, and Bonny’s mix of clean vocals with guttural growls showcases both sides of Ad Infinitum’s sound: heavy enough to get metalheads involved, but not so heavy as to scare away casual listeners. Bonny, Thessenvitz, and bassist Korbinian Benedict are a constant blur of activity on the raised platforms that run the length of the stage, while Niklas Müller controls everything from behind his drumkit, in the darkness. No time for chit-chat as it’s straight into ‘Aftermath’, which opens with growls from Bonny that highlight why she is the perfect fit to go toe-to-toe with Tommy Karevik in Kamelot.
The setlist is pretty much perfect, with stops at each album, and mixed in a way that keeps the audience on their toes. It’s not until later in the set, though, that the debut album is called upon. First with a heavy, pulsating version of ‘See You in Hell’, then the magnificent ‘Marching on Versailles’ (which remains one of Ad Infinitum’s strongest tracks), and a bouncy romp through the uplifting ‘Live Before You Die’ appears as the set roars to a conclusion.
Highlights are at every turn, with tracks aired from ‘Abyss’, particularly standing out. ‘My Halo’ launches a six-track blast through it, a stunning live version of ‘Anthem for the Broken’, and Korbinian Benedict getting his groove going on during the pulsing intro to ‘Surrender’ being the main talking points. Bonny’s change from clean, poppy vocals to a hair-raising scream on the latter, proof again, if needed, of the ease with which Bonny can change gears when called upon.
If the new track ‘Regicide’ is anything to go by, the album that Ad Infinitum are starting to work on after a short break is shaping up to be something special. Very modern, with a great mix of electronic pulses, clean and harsh vocals, and a blissful, meandering midsection that leads into a killer solo from Adrian Thessenvitz.
Ending on the evening’s biggest banger, ‘Into the Night’, Ad Infinitum slayed (sorry, not sorry) in Slay.
Melissa Bonny will hopefully be back in the UK with Kamelot later this year. She will be back, however, in February 2027, as special guest of Charlotte Wessels, on the latter’s debut UK tour as a solo artist.
Connect with Ad Infinitum, HERE, and Melissa Bonny, HERE.
All images – Dave Jamieson
