Intense--Dark Season

Intense--Dark Season (1997) Rating--8.5

First and foremost, you can chalk this up as one of the top "indie" releases UMR has received. Extremely professional sounds and material coming from an unsigned band.
Intense's music is very much power metal. It's hard to pinpoint exactly, but there are strains of numerous influences seemingly intermixed: Judas Priest, Jag Panzer, Omen, and maybe some of the more straight-forward Pantera material-- Though the sound is more old-school crunch than anything else. What it does have is plenty of energy and plenty of heaviness.
Vocally, this release has frustrated me from listen number one. Not really in a bad way--- It's just that the singer is a dead ringer for someone else, and I haven't quite been able to put my finger on it. The closest comparisons I can arrive at are John Bush, Geoff Tate, and Bruce Dickinson-- Though a bit lower than all three. Very rich vocal work.
The first song "Against the Grain" is strong, and in the background you can hear an almost mechanical drum effect that gives the impression of a double-bass. At first listen I thought this might be a problem for the recording as a whole, but it quickly blends into the music. The disc rolls from there....
The intro groove of "Deny" is continued throughout, and choppy guitar riffs and grooves power "Greed" and "Crystal Mind." A constant and fluid pace is the strong suit of the title song, and disc closer "This is Your Fate" mixes riffs with crunching chords for a great distortion pick-up.
A band to watch, as a label like Century Media could snap these guys up in an instant.
TRACK LIST: Against the Grain/Deny/Greed/Dark Season/Crystal Mind/This is Your Fate

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