FMOTP
INFINITY is a really fine hard rock record, and was hugely popular back when I was in junior high. Listening to this album for the first time in years has given me a chance to write a more balanced review of it. I would argue that this is Journey at their peak. The band's songwriting had steadily improved since their debut, and there's no denying Steve Perry's voice. My favorite tracks are "Feelin' That Way/Anytime", "Wheel in the Sky", and "Opened the Door". Fortunately, modern technology allows us to easily skip right over "Can Do"; it was harder to do in the late 70's LP era!
The performances throughout the album are excellent, which shouldn't be surprising considering the band's pedigree. Steve Perry can definitely sing, and Aynsley Dunbar is a very skillful drummer. Neal Schon shows what an excellent guitarist he is. I usually don't care about guitar solos, but Neal's work here is one of the best things about INFINITY. His skills seem under used on the band's more recent albums.
I would rather listen to this than Styx's later records or anything by Boston, to name two bands that are often compared to Journey. My final rating is going to be 3 1/2 stars. INFINITY shows a relative lack of "metalness" by the general standards of Metal Music Archives. If that doesn't bother you, you might even give it an extra half star.