Ad Infinitum Headlines The Meadows & Sets NYC Ablaze


Ryan Murray | Co-Owner | Chief Editor | Contributor | Photographer

r.m.music84@gmail.com

📸 – Ryan Murray Photography

Symfinity opened the evening with sweeping ambition, Miracle rising gradually as layered instrumentation filled Brooklyn Meadows with cinematic weight. The atmosphere expanded almost immediately — strings, keys, and guitars interweaving into a sound that felt both theatrical and grounded. Seann’s vocals carried steady control, anchoring the grandeur without overreaching.

Avery’s piccolo cut cleanly through the heavier passages, adding a bright classical edge that threaded through distorted riffs with surprising clarity. Touring violinist Rachel Kolster brought warmth and sustained resonance, her bow gliding across phrases that expanded the harmonic depth of the set. The pairing of piccolo and violin created a chamber-like elegance layered over metal instrumentation, delicate yet commanding.

Midway through the performance, tension crept in when Crystal’s keyboard suddenly cut out. In a band whose sound relies heavily on layered orchestration, the absence was noticeable, and if only for a brief moment, the texture thinned. But instead of faltering, the band adapted. Touring drummer Alex Cohen stepped forward and delivered an impromptu solo that thundered across the venue, toms rolling and cymbals crashing in rapid bursts that reignited the crowd’s energy. What could have been an awkward pause transformed into one of the most memorable moments of the set — resilience unfolding in real time.

By the time Everything I Know Explodes closed their performance, the room felt primed and attentive. Symfinity had not only opened the night with scale and ambition but demonstrated composure under pressure, setting a confident tone for everything that followed.

FULL SYMFINITY PHOTO GALLERY

Full Setlist:

Miracle

Flipside

Dynamite

Impromptu drum solo

Everything I Know Explodes


The Martyr shifted the atmosphere sharply, replacing symphonic sweep with raw urgency. I Died Every Day hit with immediate force, guitars grinding forward as Gianna’s vocals carried grit and emotional intensity. The stage presence was kinetic and restless, each member feeding off the rising energy in the room.

Backrooms and 120 Spin ignited the pit quickly, breakdowns landing with physical weight as bodies collided in controlled chaos. The lighting darkened, strobes cutting through the haze as the room’s temperature seemed to climb. The band’s transitions were tight and deliberate, each rhythmic punch landing cleanly.

During Strangers and What’s Left Of Me, melody surfaced through the distortion, adding emotional texture without softening impact. One of the most striking images of the night unfolded in the pit itself: a very young fan, fully immersed in play-moshing, surrounded instinctively by fans who formed a protective perimeter without diminishing the intensity. Hands steadied her when needed, space opened fluidly, and the energy remained fierce but safe.

When Star 67 closed their set, the crowd roared back in approval, the night no longer warming up but fully alive.

FULL THE MARTYR PHOTO GALLERY

Full Setlist:

I Died Every Day

Backrooms

120 Spin

Till I Die

Strangers

Star 67

What’s Left Of Me


Tulip expanded the sonic palette again, bringing progressive structure and darker atmosphere into the fold. Ghost of Kiev unfolded with dramatic pacing, guitars building tension before sweeping into melodic passages that felt expansive and deliberate.

Throughout The Perpetual Dream and Devourer, the band demonstrated compositional confidence, allowing intricate arrangements to breathe. The interplay between aggression and melody felt fluid, transitions unfolding naturally rather than abruptly. There was a calculated elegance to their heaviness, the kind that rewards close listening as much as live immersion.

Midnight In The Desert carried a steady pulse that drew the crowd deeper into their atmosphere. Then Katy Perry’s Dark Horse hit — Tulip transformed it into a full-metal storm. Every riff sharpened the edge, every beat became a pulse you could feel in your chest, and the entire room erupted in a voice-cracking, wall-shaking sing-along. It wasn’t tentative — it was thunderous, every fan shouting every word, the pit moving as a single unit, the energy raw and unrelenting.

Closing with Assassins and Gemini, the band reinforced their ability to balance theatrical mood with muscular execution. They are a progressive band to keep a close eye on — not because they chase complexity for its own sake, but because they understand how to shape it into something cohesive and commanding. The trajectory feels deliberate, and the potential unmistakable.

FULL TULIP PHOTO GALLERY

Full Setlist:

Ghost of Kiev

The Perpetual Dream

Devourer

Midnight In The Desert

Dark Horse (Katy Perry cover)

Assassins

Gemini


Seven Spires stepped onto the stage with a gravity that immediately shifted the atmosphere. A Fortress Called Home opened slowly, drawing the audience inward before swelling into layered intensity. Shadows and warm amber lights stretched across the stage as the band came on the stage, giving the moment cinematic weight.

Adrienne Cowan’s vocals cut through the mix with both guttural power and melodic highs, navigating dark passages with effortless command. From Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues to Every Crest, the band moved like a living organism — transitions flowing seamlessly, each note carrying weight. Jack’s guitar work punctuated every shift, sustained phrases bending and wailing in ways that could stop you mid-breath. His solos were simultaneously captivating and heartbreakingly beautiful, tugging at both gut and heart with a precision that made the music feel alive.

During Architect of Creation, the room held its attention, then flowed into Choices and Love’s Souvenir. Ashleigh Semkiw joined onstage for Love’s Souvenir, layering harmonies with Adrienne, and the lyrics — “So bury me. There is no poetry, in rotting away in bed. Rotting in my regrets” — became a full-volume sing-along, fans in the pit shouting every line with unbridled intensity. The energy was raw, chaotic, and unfiltered.

As the set moved through Dare to Live, Wanderer’s Prayer, and finally Gods of Debauchery, which brought another massive sing a long, the band never let intensity falter. Drums thundered, guitars screamed, and Adrienne’s voice guided each crescendo and fall with theatrical precision. Seven Spires left the stage having carved an emotional and sonic signature into the room — dark, vulnerable, relentless, and profoundly moving. This is a band that knows what they’re capable of, and then pushes past it with every performance over covered of theirs.

FULL SEVEN SPIRES PHOTO GALLERY

Full Setlist:

A Fortress Called Home

Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues

Every Crest

Architect of Creation

Choices

Love’s Souvenir (with Ashleigh Semkiw)

Dare to Live

Wanderer’s Prayer

Gods of Debauchery


Ad Infinitum commanded the stage from the first chord of Upside Down, the energy palpable as Brooklyn Meadows responded instantly with the entire room jumping up and down the n time with the band. Adrian Theßenvitz’s guitar lines cut clean and precise, while Niklas Müller’s drumming anchored each shift with power and nuance. Korbinian Benedict’s bass added depth and movement, locking the rhythms with authority. Melissa Bonny’s vocals ranged seamlessly from piercing melodic highs to textured grit and guttural harshness, establishing her as a force to be reckoned with on stage.

Aftermath and Your Enemy demonstrated their songwriting growth over eight years. The band navigated dynamic shifts effortlessly, the arrangements breathing with intentionality. The band’s chemistry here, not just with each other, but with the crowd as well, was particularly palpable.

During My Halo and Anthem for the Broken, Melissa’s control and range were undeniable, delivering subtle nuance in the quiet moments and searing power in climactic bursts. The very young fan remained near the center of the pit, supported and shielded by surrounding concertgoers as the energy surged around her. The pit became an ecosystem of intensity and care, showing the communal respect that made the performance feel both raw and safe.

Dead End brought Adrienne Cowan onto the stage, her harmonies expanding the track’s emotional resonance, while Ashleigh Semkiw joined for The One You’ll Hold On To, layering additional vocal texture that elevated the song to a soaring highlight. These collaborations added dimension without ever feeling forced, emphasizing the band’s ability to create moments that are both musically and emotionally engaging.

Adrian’s guitar work continued to impress, alternating between precise rhythm, soaring melodic passages, and biting leads. Niklas’ drums maintained both drive and detail, making the heavier sections hit harder while leaving space for melodic instrumentation to breathe. Korbinian’s bass added weight and nuance to every arrangement, tying the components together.

The final stretch — Outer Space, See You In Hell, Regicide, and the encore of Unstoppable, Live Before You Die, and Into the Night — turned the room into a kinetic, collective experience. Melissa’s vocals navigated each song with clarity and power, drawing every fan into the performance. The pit moved as one, the very young fan protected yet fully part of the chaos running in a circle pit. Every instrument, every note, and every vocal moment connected organically, leaving the crowd charged and satisfied.

By the last note, Ad Infinitum had shown why eight years of evolution has placed them among the most compelling acts in modern metal. Their musicality, songwriting, dynamic live presence, and Melissa’s extraordinary versatility coalesced into a night that will linger in memory — a testament to how far they’ve come and the heights they are still capable of reaching.

FULL AD INFINITUM PHOTO GALLERY

Full Setlist:

Upside Down

Aftermath

Somewhere Better

Your Enemy

My Halo

Anthem for the Broken

Interlude

Follow Me Down

Surrender

Dead End (feat. Adrienne Cowan)

Euphoria

Animals

New Dawn

Outer Space

See You In Hell

The One You’ll Hold On To (feat. Ashleigh Semkiw)

Guitar Solo

Marching on Versailles

Regicide

Unstoppable

Live Before You Die

Into the Night

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