INTENSE “The Shape Of Rage” /CD/

The third full-length album by the British Speed/Heavy/Power Metal band.
English band Intense has been plugging away at their craft for 20 years. While 20 years only puts them back to the early Nineties, one listen to this disc find that their roots go deeper into the earlier. "The Shape Of Rage" is blistering platter of old school Metal mixing Heavy, Speed and Power Metal in a melodic wrapper, pushed by a driving rhythm section and twin guitar attack.
From the gate, Intense offering a songs that clip along at fast and heavy pace. "Anubis", "The Elemental" and "One Man's Word" gallop along, leaving little time for catching your breath. Lightning guitar solos pepper each song. Once you get to "For the Fallen", Intense, in terms of speed, lightens up quite a bit. It's a heavy, steady piece nuanced by vocals over light guitar and drums, and a smattering of acoustic guitar. But, don't dismay it cranks up with some big riffage and more guitar solos for an epic feel.
"Save Me from Myself", "Lie" and the title cut return to racing speed, typical of the album. But they also express how easily Intense can deliver bombastic riffage in a truly melodic arrangement. While the speed side of the band is quite evident and exciting, they're even better when they tone things down or simply merge them with more steady Metal as on Maidenesque sounding song, "Haunted" (note, the bass segment just before four minutes also). "Skull of Sidon II" delivers a similar arrangement, sublime and steady at first, but then breaks out with speed midway. The result is a song with an epic feel.
For pure and classic Heavy Metal, with equal parts Speed, Power and melodic Metal, Intense's "The Shape Of Rage" delivers the goods. Fans of 'True' Metal should buy this straight away!! Up the Irons!!!
Pure Legend Records, 2011 (PLRCD003). Made in Germany. First press. Used: very good.


Tracklist:
1. Anubis     4:47
2. The Elemental     4:01
3. One Man's Word     5:26
4. For The Fallen     5:46
5. Save Me From Myself     5:27
6. Lie     5:10
7. Haunted     5:46
8. Skull Of Sidon II     8:39
9. The Shape Of Rage     6:30
Total playing time: 51:32