There are big things ahead for The Intersphere if they can maintain this level of quality.

A new name to me but this, their sophomore release, has made quite an impact on me and sets The Intersphere as a name to watch. Formed in 2006 by four musicians in their mid-twenties (Christoph Hessler – vocals, Thomas Zipner – guitars, Sebastian Wagner – bass and drummer Moritz Müller) they seem to have established themselves pretty quickly on the German Rock scene which has led to two appearances at the high profile ‘Rock am Ring’ festival.

Their website suggests that they have been compared to Muse or even what Pink Floyd and The Police would sound like if they got together. I can certainly understand those sentiments in respect of the first and last names on that list but they are nowhere near as challenging to listen to as Muse, being far more melodic. I’d say that for me they sit somewhere in that area euphemistically called ‘Modern Prog’ that is said to be inhabited by the likes of Porcupine Tree (PT), The Pineapple Thief (TPT), Radiohead et al, with dashes of other artists like Frost* coming through from time to time, and I’d throw Pop Rock into the mix as well with certain Matchbox 20 type traits surfacing. Where they differ from PT and TPT is that they tend to be far more upbeat and deliver some great melodies and choruses that really get your foot tapping and get into your head.

Prime examples of this are ‘Prodigy Composers’, the highly melodic and superbly catchy ‘Ghostwriter’, whilst ‘Earlybird’ features a fabulous chorus. The latter has the wonderful sheen taken off it a touch by a couple of short but manic sections but the excellent underlying theme saves the song. ‘Snapshot’ is a bit darker in feel and the chorus is probably the least memorable on offer. The wonderfully titled ‘I’ve Got A Place For You On Google Earth’ has a Muse-like vibe and gets a bit angular at times, but it still has the all important melody, which is the hallmark of this band.
Hessler has a fine voice and one that is accent free, which makes you think they might be American given some of the song structures. It’s all about the songs, there being very little instrumental extravagance or flabbiness about the songs.

This came as a nice surprise and a really enjoyable album with a nice range of songs, which keeps things interesting without ever getting outlandish. I suspect there are big things ahead for The Intersphere if they can maintain this level of quality. Nice one!

Gary Marshall