I have to admit that I was biased when Intwine’s title less debut album hit my doormat. Like everybody else I knew front man Roger from his performance at the Dutch Idols. The fact is that I just didn’t like this guy. He’s the one that made the final ten, but decided to quit with the program because he didn’t like the terms in the contract. He felt that he just couldn’t explore his musical vision if he stayed. I was baffled when I heard the band’s first single “Happy”. This acoustic and vocal orientated tear jerker is just the song you might expect from one of the idols, I hated it. My biggest fear was having to listen to an album full of these songs. Luckily I had to adjust my strong view about Intwine.

There aren’t many negative things to write about the album. At first I got a strong feeling that the band was too much influenced by a broad collection references. The first song “Way Out” reminds me too much of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the second has an obvious Stakka Bo reference.

The other songs however made perfectly clear that Intwine certainly have an own vision and an own approach to music. They are just influenced by a large amount of musical influences. These guys managed to combine metal and rock riffs with Hip-hop and Reggae in a very impressive way. These songs are without doubt my favourites on the album. Another revelation is the fact that Roger is only one of the links in the chain. All other members prove to be more than just talented youngsters.

Rating this album is a tough thing to do. Since my expectations were so low, I must be careful not to get over excited by the fact that this debut album sounds pretty good. If you’re into eclectic-but-original popular rock, you’ll definitely like it. If you hate “Happy” this is no reason not to check this album out.