It is not often that a debut album really grabs you and gives you a good shake.
It is not often that a debut album really grabs you and gives you a good shake, however that is exactly what German progsters InVertigo have managed to make their first effort 'Next Stop Vertigo' do. Mixing a wide and varied set of progressive influences into a familiar sound without ever slipping into the realms of relying on one or two individual bands for a sound, InVertigo fuse together the likes of Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, RPWL, Genesis and the odd hint of Porcupine Tree to make a sound not quite all of their own, but not far away.
Singer Sebastian Brennert's gently accented vocals are slightly reminiscent of RPWL's Yogi Lang, with their warm melodic tones becoming more subtly seductive every time you hear him sing. That said it is the breadth and delivery of the music that really marks InVertigo as a band to watch. As comfortable layering gentle vocal refrains with some haunting moog as they are firing out muscular, challenging time signatures and tempo changes, this is a band capable of blending subtle moods with aggressive prog work outs, but holding it all together with stylish playing and razor sharp hooks. There's no doubting the instrumental skills of Matthias Hommel (bass), Michael Kuckenbecker (keyboards), Andre Lente (drums) or Jaques Moch (guitars), but it is as one cohesive unit that shape shifts its way through six long tracks (the shortest clocks in at over seven minutes) that InVertigo find their strength. Whether it is the twelve minute 'Special', which marries restrained acoustic sections with bruising keyboard flurries and stinging guitar solos, or the altogether more introspective tones of 'Saturday Evening', where Brennet, who also adds additional keys, gets a real chance to shine in between some jazz flavoured piano and atmospheric layers of keyboards and bass, InVertigo make a lasting impression with their beautifully crafted music. Rewarding in both a technical and emotional sense, songs such as the almost Marillion like 'The Night', where the guitars bounce from soaring breaks to refined riffs are somehow melodically satisfying and upliftingly progressive at the same time. It's a hard trick to pull off and one that many bands have failed to do, but not InVertigo, who pass this test with flying colours.
Having already supported acts such as Alias Eye, Pure Reason Revolution and Sylvan, the future already looks extremely bright for a band that should be able to hit heights that their name suggests they won't enjoy.
Steven Reid
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