You have to give Intense credit-while their Iced Earth meets Nevermore sound is by no means original, at least they take pride in what they do and deliver the goods. As Our Army Grows is solid if unspectacular classic power metal from this British metal band. From the Matt Barlow influenced vocals from Sean Hetherington, to the epic guitar riffs, intricate solos, and pummeling rhythms, this sophomore release is somewhat of a homage to classic metal. The problem is, unlike Iced Earth and Nevermore, most of the songs here are pretty unmemorable and lack any melodies that stay with you for any length of time. Tunes like "Anger Of The Ancients", "Mirror Shroud", and "Temptress" have plenty of impressive instrumental passages and riffs, but Hetherington fails to deliver any meaningful or memorable vocal melodies. He's got a fine voice, but the band just hasn't written anything here that grabs you and drills itself into your brain. It's as if this band is better suited for the more progressive material like "Our Last Hope", "You Die Today", and "Strange New World", where they slow down the tempos and let the layered guitar and keyboard melodies take over the song. Ironically, these songs also see Hetherington deliver his best vocals on the CD.
As Our Army Grows is sort of a hit or miss-on one hand, when the band tries to crank out the speedy classic power metal, they sort of fall a little flat, but on the occasions when they get more progressive with a style that's not far from early Evergrey, they really click. My suggestion to this obvviously talented band is to forget trying to be the next Iced Earth, and let your experimental side come through in full.
Track Listing
1. Anger Of The Ancients
2. Mirror Shroud
3. Our Last Hope
4. You Die Today
5. Insanity's Call
6. Temptress
7. Fear Is Not Enough
Chronicles Of The New Flesh Trilogy:
8. Trojan Transmission
9. Strange New World
10. Long Live the New Flesh
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
