InVertigo - 2019 - InMotion

(45:10; Progressive Promotion Records)

Track list:
1. Interrompu 7:05
2. Listen to the Smell of the Pretty Picture 10:28
3. Severn Speaking 4:41
4. Wasting Time 8:53
5. Life Part I: Random 7:40
6. Life Part II: Metaphors 6:23

Line-up:
Sebastian Brennert - vocals, piano
Michael Kuchenbecker - keyboards
Matthias Hommel - bass, pedals
Carsten Dannert - drums, percussion
Kolja Maletzki - guitars
with:
Ina Merz - vocals
Julia Gorzelanczyk - vocals


Prolusion.
German band Invertigo has been a going concern for 20 years or thereabouts, albeit spending quite a bit of time in their initial years settling as a stable band unit. They recorded and released their debut album "Next Stop Vertigo" back in 2010, and since then they have released new material every few years. The album "Inmotion" is their third and most recent studio production, and was released through German label Progressive Promotion Records in the late fall of 2019.

Analysis.
Invertigo is a band that is fairly easy to sort as far as what variety of progressive rock they specialize in. This production is all about neo-progressive rock, and then by and large a variety of that form that started to develop back in the 1990's.

The compositions will generally alternate between a small handful of different orientations on this production, all of them just as much a presence as any of the others. The parts sporting elegant flowing keyboard motifs paired with or alternating with flowing, elegant and emotional guitar solo overlays and guitar solo runs is perhaps the most typical variety of neo-progressive rock, and an approach and execution of the form that is very much in place here. We also get passages with a darker and slightly more ominous sheen to them, often with the Mellotron adding a nervous tension to these landscapes. Then we have the more tension inducing arrangements where the guitar is a more dominant presence, albeit mainly as a bit of an undercurrent in sparse arrangements that focus more on tendencies with more of an unnerving touch and feel to them. There are also sections with a bit more of a hard rock appeal, with more dominant riffs that may or may not combine with the organ.

As an album experience this is one that for me at least is a variable one. I find the compositions that ebb and flow between passages that are more distinctly different from one another, while also maintaining flow and momentum, to be the most interesting ones. Especially because I am fond of the more subtle but vibrant dark toned arrangements that are recurring elements in these creations.

On other occasions I find that the songs lack the variation needed to engage me on a deeper level. The arrangements are pleasant, the melodies and harmonies as well as the moods and atmospheres, but the lack of a somewhat stronger contrast and variation, and sometimes also the use of changes that disrupt the flow and momentum of a song, just makes these other compositions a little bit less engaging for me personally.

I note that the mix and production qualities of the album is of the same high quality that I tend to expect from an album released by Progressive Promotion Records, and that the music as such is one that should have a fairly wide and broad appeal in progressive rock circles and beyond.

Conclusion.
Well made neo-progressive rock with a subtle use of different modes and moods in compositions that are smooth, polished and with a strong compelling feel to them is what we get on Invertigo's 2019 album "Inmotion". If approachable and inviting landscapes using nuanced differences to slightly emphasize different dimensions and aspects of a song sounds like an interesting prospect, and you generally enjoy an elegant variety of neo-progressive rock explored with more of a 90's orientation, I believe you will find this album to be a rewarding experience.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, January 2023

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/NextStopVertigo/
https://www.progressive-promotion.de/