Infinite Recursion (1983: Doomsday)

Infinite Recursion's poster.

Infinite Recursion is an alternative rock/grunge rock band. Founded in Canada, it now has members from the Celtic Alliance and South Africa. It has six members (Jonathan Macgrae (second guitarist, from the Celtic Alliance), Harry Murphy (drummer, from the Dominion of South Africa), Eric Morton (bass and singer), Eve Morton (first guitar), Tom Malloy (second bass, unrelated to Harry Malloy from Dragonhead), and Harold Chen (third guitar, backup singer) and two former members (Mike Johnson and Andy Skimmer, the latter of whom left for The Griffin's Doom) .

The band was rumored to be breaking up in January 2014, which was confirmed on 28 July, when the band announced that due to the advanced stomach cancer of front man Eric Morton, the band would dissolve following the Seven Against Doomsday "megatour". 

Three of the members - Tom Malloy, Jonathan Macgrae and Harry Murphy, announced that along with Richard Waters (of Detonation, which was also dissolving), they would start a new band called Dead Man's Honour.

History

Foundation and Early Years: Infinite Recursion 

Infinite Recursion was founded in August of 2004 by four people - Eric Morton, Mike Johnson, Jonathan Magrae, and Eve Morton (Eric's sister). After a month, they brought in Harry Murphy to play drums. Their first, eponymous, album, released in December, passed mostly unnoticed, peaking at 87 on the Canadian Hot 100 charts and not even breaking into the Hot 100 charts elsewhere. However, it provided some money, and after taking on Andy Skimmer, they signed on for a tour throughout Canada, which significantly boosted their reputation.

Fame and Breakout: Hell Can't Hold Us All, Watch It Burn, and Midnight Skies

Following the fairly unsuccessful debut of the band, they released a second album - Hell Can't Hold Us All - which founded the band's "hard party rock" aesthetic and established its credentials as a force to be reckoned with, setting a new record on Canadian charts with 29 weeks at number one, and debuting at #1 in the DSA and Celtic Union. It was soon overshadowed by Dragonhead's The Lights That Flash and the Stars That Twinkle mere months later. With Watch It Burn and Midnight Skies (its one and only concept album), the band achieved huge successes, and took on Harold Chen. However, after a large argument between Mike Johnson and Eric Morton, Johnson left the band, moving to the ANZC, where he joined Australian Electro band Silky Ion . In response, Morton hired Tom Malloy to replace him.

Ostracism: This Is War

After the Midnight Skies Tour, the band embarked on a co-headline tour across the ANZC with the Celtic band Whisky Priest. After returning, in the middle of the Saguenay War, the band made a charity tour to help disabled veterans of the war. Upon meeting several of the veterans, however, Morton was shocked at their descriptions of the horror of the war. At the same time, Morton had begun- during his ANZC tour - to be affected by several Buddhist tours, even making a point so that on the return journey the band stopped in Lhasa. 

The result, in November of 2010, was This Is War, which, according to a statement released by the band, was intended to show the horrors of war in general; however, many in Canada and the Celtic Union believed this to be an insult to the war effort, and a criticism of the Canadian role in it as aggressors. After receiving several death threats, Skimmer announced that he was leaving the band to join the Australian band The Griffin's Doom, while the rest of the band took the tour to southern Africa, where the album had been received far more favorably.

Return to Success: Total Solar Eclipse and Hell Freezes Over

Though the band would never regain its success in Canada, it did sell moderately well there after Morton sent out a statement apologizing to the veterans of the war, and donating 50% of the sales of their next album - Total Solar Eclipse - to support the disabled veterans. 

The band, however, was by this point seen to be creatively running out of steam. Clive Ernman of the CA's Doomsday, one of the few voices in the CA that sympathized with Infinite Recursion in their ostracism from Canada, said that "There is no question- Infinite Recursion is done."- prophetic words, after the bands next (and final) album, Hell Freezes Over, sold abysmally outside of Canada.

Breakup

In mid 2013, Eric Morton, the band's front man, announced that he had advanced stomach cancer, and was expected to survive for just another few months. His sister, Eve, said she would retire in that period to take care of him. 

After a month, the band announced that they would be dissolving after the Seven Against Doomsday Megaconcert.

In January of 2014, Malloy, Macgrae and Murphy announced that along with Detonation's Richard Waters, they would start a new band.

Discography

Infinite Recursion (Dec 2004)

• Infinite Recursion
• Loop the Loop
• More than Pride
• Time Apart
• Bullet to the Head
• Found you Yet
• One Thousand
• They Saved Us All
• So We Die
• Army of the Dead
• Hots for Teacher

The Cover of the album This Is War.

Hell Can't Hold Us All (Sept 2006)

• You Won't Believe Me
• New York!
• Go and See it Yourself!
• See Through Wool
• Kiss the Lies
• Falling Your Knees
• Latest Epidemic
• It Snows In Hell!
• Hell Can't Hold Us All!
• Dig the Drugs
• Swallow More than Pride!

The Cover of the album Hell Can't Hold Us All

Watch It Burn (August 2007)

• Found it Yet?
• Trying 
• Needing You
• Being Torn Apart
• Keep on Going
• Slog and Push
• Voice From Up High
• We Live
• Watch it Burn!
• Mean So Much 
• Down the Hatch
• Dark Horse
• Ten Reasons Why
• Forever Never Comes

The Cover of the album Watch It Burn.

Midnight Skies (Dec 2008)

• Listening to Myself
• Talking to Myself
• Lying to Myself
• First Interlude: Broken Hearts
• Can't Go Without You
• Can't Live Without You
• Can't Stay Without You
• Second Interlude: Symphonies of God
• Summer Sky
• Winter Sky
• Spring Sky
• Final Interlude: Midnight Skies

The Cover of the album Midnight Skies.

This Is War(Nov 2010)

• This Is War!!
• Burn Baby Burn
• Fallen Angels
• United We Stand
• Twenty One Gun Salute
• The Pearly Gates
• Temporary Death
• Live Like Gods
• Here We Stood
• We Who Fought
• The Song of the Doomed

Total Solar Eclipse (Jan 2012)

• Where did the Sun Go?
• Party's Left!
• Get Moving
• Three and Another
• Love You More
• Earth and Sky
• Belting Lies
• Others Prefer Freeze
• TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE!

The cover of Total Solar Eclipse.

Hell Freezes Over (Sept 2013)

• Snows in Hell
• Midnight Prince
• Three Angels
• Things in the Night
• Tonight
• Your Mine!

  

  The cover of the album Hell Freezes Over.

• Lock and Load
• Climb all Over
• Moving On
• Rodeo Knight
• Hell Freezes Over

Themes and Awards

Infinite Recursion is mostly known- and critcised - for its imagery and themes, which generally focus around drugs, sex, and alcohol. Several reviewers, such as Amanda Rightis of Doomsday, an entertainment magazine from the Celtic Union, said that "While the music is good, eventually, the songs all start to blend together. There is no question- Infinite Recursion is done." However, many of their songs have been commentary of world events: for instance, their album This Is War was a criticism of the Canadian role in the Saguenay War, which led to a subsequent ostracism of the band throughout Canada and the ADC.

Infinite Recursion, however, won an award for that album.