ALBUM REVIEW: The Grand Delusion – The Intersphere
With a career spanning over twelve years and four studio albums, Germany’s THE INTERSPHERE have not had an easy ride. Disappearing after the release of Relations In The Unseen back in 2014, the rock quartet spent the last five years dealing personal tribulation, before heading back into the studio to explore new ways to reflectively interpret their sound culminating in new record The Grand Delusion.
Taking lyrical inspiration from Paul Watzlawick’s book of the same name, THE INTERSPHERE aimed to introduce deep swathes of distortion and fuzz this time around, choosing to record most of their sessions live to try and capture a more anthemic atmosphere. Opener Don’t Think Twice however, fails to capture the band’s aims. Where the expectation to have brains melted to sludge with the promised distortion, instead vocalist Christoph Hessler (who also headed up the role of producer on The Grand Delusion) sings with a ballad-ish ease that lacks in any sort of heavy punch.
Throughout The Grand Delusion, Mortiz Müller crashes his drums so hard the kit sounds as if it’s going to break at any moment — changing course with playful speed and rhythms that at times does finally feel like it’s treading down the path of destruction. Secret Place and Antitype skirt the edge of full on distortion; both tracks fizz to life at break neck speed but sadly lose momentum by the time the choruses roll around.
On Man On The Moon, THE INTERSPHERE’s existential themes are more prominent, here commenting on humanities impact on the earth: “Is this all you ever wanted / To swim in the plastic sea?” asks Hessler. “Well it’s up to you to bring out something new / To protect earth from crisis” he sings. In Smoke Screen they cast aspersions on the realms of reality, while in the album’s title track they query social norms and constructs from a perspective that feels deeply personal.
Sadly, the delivery of such themes is not effortless on this record. The medley of different tempos interrupts the flow of Hessler’s vocals, feeling clunky and rushed as if thrown into a melding pot and the results are still a mess.
The latter half of the record lapses into a far slower pace then the bulk of The Grand Delusion. In You Feel Better When I Feel Bad and closer Shipwreck, math-rock inspired guitar melodies finally break through the surface, adding a lighter touch to a record that by this point has followed an already dated formula.
The Grand Delusion is a solid record, but in 2018, it’s not pushing any boundaries or presenting any new ideas to the hard-rock genre. Where melodies don’t come across as well put together, THE INTERSPHERE should take kudos for trying to bring a bit of introspection to the table.
Rating: 6/10
The Grand Delusion is set for release November 30th via Long Branch Records.
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