Founded in 1987, Infam has released
numerous cassette releases, as well as two original full lengths. I Tried
But I Failed is Infam's third CD album, and also their last release for
Zoth Ommog. Released in March of 1998, I Tried But I Failed is a collection of
older Infam tracks recorded between 1988 and 1994. The majority of these tracks
were recorded during the period when Infam was a two-member project. In 1992
André Knufmann left the band, leaving the project entirely in the hands of André
Geisler. Of the 14 tracks on I Tried But I Failed, only a handful of them have
previously been released on CD. One Step appeared in two alternate
versions on Infam's Void single. The version found on I Tried But
I Failed is the original, which does bare a strong resemblance to the other
mixes. Blending hard, dance-structured beats with slightly synth-pop orientated
vocals, this is a light and stylish electro piece. Take the Time, which
originally appeared on the Electro Revenge sampler, is a similarly
styled dance piece that contains some bouncy sequences in combination with the
rigid beats and watery rhythms. The highlight of this CD is Dissolute.
The music on this piece is pure, unadulterated EBM, complete with harsher vocal
elements, cascading and dense sequences, and solid beats. Recorded around the
same time period, You Need It does have some EBM tendencies, but overall
this is a less aggressive and more synth-pop styled track. André's vocals carry
I Won't Lose My Faith (maxi). The music on this track wavers about and
isn't as strong as most of the others. As a nice addition to the Infam sound,
female vocalist Marina joins in on Nosense, another track that blends EBM
with synth-pop. Considering this track was recorded back in 1989, it still
stands out as one of the more prominent (and modern sounding) pieces on I Tried
But I Failed. I Tried But I failed may be a good starting point for those who
are not familiar with Infam. Granted, the newest track on here was recorded in
1994, but Infam's sound really hasn't changed too much since then. 1997's
To Die For is a testament to that. There seems to be no word on what
Infam will do next, but hopefully we will see a new release soonZOTH OMMOG Infam is: