Tour start at Colos-Saal Aschaffenburg on 23rd October 2025
Tonight, we will be watching Ad Infinitum on their first headline tour. It was about time for the band anyway. Since the four musicians formed the band in 2018, they have constantly climbed the ladder of success, and are now one of the leading acts of the new generation of Symphonic Metal bands.
Tulip
Ad Infinitum have two support bands on board for the tour: the first is Tulip from Canada and the USA. Tulip‘s live line-up consists of Colin Parrish and Cody Casillas on guitars, Ashleigh Semkiw on vocals, and Ryan Claxton on drums. So don’t confuse them with the bands of the same name from Dachau and Weimar in Germany.
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As the audience would expect, Tulip fit in perfectly as the tour’s openers. Tulip performs an interesting mix of Alternative, Modern and Symphonic Metal. You might be surprised to see that none of them plays a six-string bass, instead there are two guitarists but no bass player on stage.
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They do a great job of getting the audience in the right mood for the second support band of the evening.
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Seven Spires
I have already seen Seven Spires several times, always as the supporting act for a more well-known band. The band is from Boston, USA, and most people will recognise the vocalist from her other projects and guest performances. I am, of course, talking about Adrienne Cowan. She forms Seven Spires together with Jack Kosto on guitar and Peter de Reyna on bass. The live band is usually completed by Dylan Gowan on drums.
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Even more than the previous band, Seven Spires fit perfectly with the tour concept. This time, there will be 13 strings on stage: Jack plays seven and Peter plays six strings. Most of Seven Spires‘ songs are very complex yet catchy. This explains the need to make use of all their strings, and sometimes you feel that there are still not enough.
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Adrienne‘s vocal performance and stage persona are once again very convincing. It’s no surprise that other artists constantly request her to perform with them, either occasionally or on tour. Adrienne really is a busy bee.
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Ad Infinitum
Sadly, at one point, Seven Spires‘ time is up and the stage is handed over to the headline act. There, we will talk about another busy bee. Vocalist Melissa Bonny has just finished touring with her second band, The Dark Side of the Moon, supporting Feuerschwanz and Lord of the Lost on the Lords of Fyre tour. Five days later, she returns with Niklas Müller on drums, Adrian Thessenvitz on guitar, and on bass, performing as Ad Infinitum from Switzerland for the band’s first headline tour.
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As previously mentioned, Ad Infinitum are the rising stars of symphonic metal, leading the new generation. Like the previous vocalist, Melissa gives an overwhelming and outstanding performance. It’s incredible how much she’s progressed over the years.
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Melissa is, of course, the centre of attention in Ad Infinitum‘s performances, especially for male fans and their wet dreams, but in this case, I would say that skills come before beauty. Even if Melissa wore a simple burlap sack instead of her military-inspired, quite short stage outfit, she would still be the perfect vocalist. Nevertheless is it a pleasure to take pics of her.
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Sadly, this lets Niklas, Adrian and Korbinian step a bit into the background. The string players have a better stage position because they can simply step forward. Niklas, however, cannot move from behind his drum kit. The ceiling is also a bit too low for a proper drum riser.
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At one point in the show, both support bands’ vocalists share the stage with Ad Infinitum for duets with Melissa. It’s clear that this combination of bands on one tour works very well. The good mood on stage is undeniable.
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The same applies to the area in front of the stage. The venue is either sold out or very, very well filled, with people squeezed in tightly, but no one complains — everyone is enjoying the high quality of the performances. This is live music at its best.
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And so I will end my report. I enjoyed exactly what I expected from these three bands. None of them disappointed, and Melissa‘s smiles and happy face were worth a million bucks. Bear in mind that she had just finished another tour and could have opted for some rest instead. Well done, Ad Infinitum! I am sure there will be more headline tours in the future with sold-out shows in bigger venues.
On a side note, as the tour has only just started, I will give no hints about the set lists. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but remain assured, you’ll be amazed.
Online:
Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands official sources and don’t stream it for free because it steals your artists’ income.
Concert photos by Friend.X aka Mr. Deep, Colos-Saal/Aschaffenburg, 23. October 2025