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Intersphere, The: Relations in the Unseen

If asked to describe this music using a genre as a guide, I would call it melodic metal, with a prog edge. But that would be doing it a disservice. This is a really fine disc of well-crafted songs, some of which pound you over the head and some of which are so rapturously pretty it hurts. Surprisingly, given its stylistic shadings, this is a German band, out of Mannheim. Nothing in this suggests the industrial overtones of that city; this is innovative, hard and pretty.

The disc begins with the title track, which starts as a huge blast of noise, sounding as though it will be a piece of death metal or industrial noise, but this morphs into a song that might now be out of place on a power punk record. But this also contains the main elements this band uses- strong lyrics, great musicianship and real drive and power. "Thanks for Nothing" continues to power punk influence, and this might not sounds out of place on a Green Day record- a band that is far more musical than some might think- if Green Day began incorporating prog into what it does. "The Ones We Never Knew" starts with piano, but then becomes far more prog-like. This is a slower song, but with primal drumming. This comes close to being epic in its style, a set-closer if ever there was one. If "The Ones" is close to an epic, "Out of Phase" is an epic. Dense, stellar, and highly melodic, this is to my mind the highlight of the entire disc. It is just gorgeous. "Panic Waves" is afar bouncier, and were I trying to pick a "single" from this set of songs, this would be the one. "Joker" is much more meal, with its double-timed drums and quickening pulse. The remaining songs shift between pretty and driving, never losing a sense of melody. Of special note is the constant interplay between drums and bass, underneath everything else.

It's all good and well worth hearing. This is a band going places.


Track Listings

  1. Relation in the Unseen
  2. Thanks for Nothing
  3. The Ones We Never Knew
  4. Out of Phase
  5. Panic Waves
  6. Joker
  7. Tonight
  8. Origin Unknown
  9. Walk on Broken Glass
  10. The Ghost of a Chance
  11. …Like it Is
  12. Golden Mean

Added: April 8th 2014
Reviewer: Dana Lawrence
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2334
Language: english

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Intersphere, The: Relations in the Unseen
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2014-04-08 18:38:05
My Score:

Now onto their fourth album German genre blurring The Intersphere return with Realtions In The Unseen, intent on continuing their quest to bring Progressive ideals into commercial settings and turn some neat Pop hooks into Indie Rock workouts. They do it well and understand that to make what could be a hotch potch of ideas work, they need to pick and choose when (and crucially when not to) expand their outlook and push their envelope.

Moments such as "The Ones We Never Knew" reveals a sparkling Tears For Fears influence, yet it also broods like Opeth lite, while "Out Of Phase", or "Origin Unknown" illustrate the ability The Intersphere have to choose a style, stick to it and then add a few bars of off-kilter counterpoint, before jumping straight back in to where they left off. In those terms there's a Von Hertzen Brothers feel, a Muse like outlook, yet The Intersphere are neither of those bands and neither do they want to be. However there's no denying that a clever sense of when to change things about and when to stick firmly to their guns does suggest that fans of those sorts of bands will find much to like here. Even if the end results are a little more commercially inspired, a little less Rocking and a little more obviously hook infested.

Sections of "Walk On Broken Glass" and "Golden Mean" actually have hit written all over them and with the correct exposure, there's a serious opportunity for this band to gain mainstream exposure. The vocals are smooth yet passionate and oddly there's an 80s vibe to their production that leaves them accessible, yet remote, while the guitars are happy to sit in reasonably sedate position, their ability however to rip your head off never truly all that far away.

A little different to the norm, but with enough touching points for them to discover a readymade audience, Relations In The Unseen could take The Intersphere into the stratosphere...maybe.



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