Hemisphere Intruders

All tracks are composed and performed by Ralf Knappe-Heinbockel with a little help on 3 tracks from Christina Fester. Ron Boots also had a hand on the production side. After the opening few minutes of this album it becomes apparent that this is not your run-of-the-mill Cue Records release. No uptempo melodics, no drums, no sequences - just long, evolving movements and subtle effects. The opening ‘Intro’ demonstrates the style perfectly. An almost subliminal monotonal choir is punctuated by various effects ranging from the weird to very weird. It’s a great track! The title track continues this mood in exemplary fashion. Again an unerring chord is the guideline for some impressive effects. ‘Intellectual Freedom’ mixes rhythm with dark textures and is yet another fine piece, while ‘Invaders from the True World’ does sound slightly alien to this album with its uptempo style. It’s back to ethereal atmospherics though for the closing three pieces with the epic ‘Last Event’ being particularly impressive. The three tracks featuring Christina Fester in no way let the side down either, her main contributions being some lush piano work. ‘Solitary Life’ and ‘Fearless’ juxtapose romantic piano with synth textures, the latter being particularly notable for a very weird ending. ‘Human Victims’ benefits from having more time to develop and is a brilliant mix of the contemporary and avante garde. The darker/industrial side of EM has many followers and, if anything, is probably growing in popularity. Though I often wonder how much of the music offers only esoteric value, from what I’ve heard there is undoubtedly potential to be tapped. This album goes a long way to realising that potential and anyone with a yearning for the "darker side of the force" should start here. (GG)

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