As Our Army Grows Review By John Tucker Of Fireworks Magazine
02-02-2007
It's taken a while to get 'As Our Army Grows' - Intense's second full-length album - from conception to the shops; at least three songs from it were up-and-running in the band's ProgPower UK set in March 2006. Signing recently to Napalm though means that the band's profile could now really be on the rise, and 'As Our Army Grows' is just the CD to back it up. Cometh the hour, cometh the album: 'As Our Army Grows' is a sweeping and ambitious - and distinctly British - power metal album, seemingly easily accessible on the surface but with unexpected undercurrents. Still waters do indeed run deep.
The album kicks off with 'Anger Of The Ancients', a true statement of intent and a live favourite. As with its nine companions-in-arms, the track shows a more mature approach to songwriting compared to the material on the band's previous offering, 2004's 'Second Sight', the songs this time round possessing more in the light-and-shade department. Threshold's Karl Groom has given the album a crisp and clean production which captures the songs' twists and turns beautifully and brings real life to the album's well-crafted material. There's no slouches in this band - Sean Hetherington (vocals), Nick Palmer and Dave Peake (guitars) and Stephen Brine (bass) all deliver the goods with panache - but the album really underscores the work of drummer Neil Ablard who always seems to have one more trick up his sleeve to keep the beat fresh.
Amongst the highlights for me are de facto title track 'Our Last Hope', the epic 'You Die Today' and 'Temptress' which features guest female vocals from Kara Sultan. Wisely saving the best till last, though, Intense bring the whole thing to a close with an eighteen-minute triptych inspired by or dedicated to the David Cronenburg film 'Videodrome'. 'Trojan Transmission' sets the scene with a heads-down riff before giving way to 'Strange New World' in which a breathtaking piano piece (courtesy of Groom's bandmate Richard West) introduces the whole band before kicking the song into gear. 'Long Live The New Flesh', another live favourite and a ferocious neck-wrencher, neatly snapshots all that is Intense and brings both trilogy and album to a fitting climax. 'As Our Army Grows' is thoroughly-enjoyable power metal workout which bridges the twenty-five year gap between the Eighties' UK metal heyday and the here and now. It's not often you hear a domestic power metal album as exciting as this.
John Tucker
February 2007