British metallers Intense are, to put it mildly, not very prolific -- in 15 years of official existence, this is only their second album. Granted, there are stories floating around the internet about their attempts to break through via Eurovision, but apparently that didn't end particularly well. So what do these musicians from the foggy shores of Albion have to offer? What we get is a rather pleasant symbiosis of good old NWOBHM in the spirit of IRON MAIDEN with small infusions of power-thrash a la ICED EARTH. The album's only problem lies in its facelessness... While listening, everything seems quite interesting, but the moment you stop the music, you realize that absolutely nothing stuck. This is a songwriting problem, a creative issue. Perhaps that's exactly why this is only their second album? And yet, despite everything, I can recommend this album to those who want to spend time listening to decent quality music that lacks just one small thing -- "originality," the kind that lets you remember it after silence sets in.
