RSS Feed


INTENT
Exile

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 7/10

Moving on since their 2018 debut full-length Vox Populi, Arizona thrashers Intent have upped their game to provide us with an abrasive ear battering driven by Teutonic (more so modern Sodom and Destruction specifically) rhythms fused with a Warbringer-esque hostility. And the hardcore thrashers among you will revel in the angst of this record because there’s nary a moment when the combo takes a break from its punishing algorithms.

From opener ‘Victims Of Conquest’ to closer ‘5th Column’ there’s total aggression, and at times I’m reminded of Slayer via God Hates Us All (2001), more so with the vocal rants of guitarist Jeremy Lambert who has that Tom Araya vibe fused with a more contemporary attack.

Lambert also produced the opus and that’s why this album gnashes so furiously, although at times there is a slightly mechanical feel to its barrages. But even so, this is a belligerent thrash outing based upon the riotous foundations of Garrett Loper’s percussive performance, while the riffs of this thing cut like razor-wire.

The title is a fast and furious expression, ‘Changing The Axis’ feels slick in its fury, and the bewildering riff alterations on ‘5th Column’ are sure to scald the ears. But dive into this record at any point and you’ll be guaranteed a pounding.

Strangely, although the album runs for under 40-minutes, there are moments, particularly on ‘Primal Instinct’, where everything feels like it could have done with a trim. But one also gets the feeling that Exile is completely unapologetic in its form, thrashing hard until you submit.

At times the tracks do start to melt into one another, with only ‘Time’ really standing out as showcasing flexibility within such a harsh framework of ideas, but even then there’s a bruising Sepultura tone.

There’s no doubting the power and violence of Intent’s sophomore outing, and a marked progression too from the rather by-numbers approach of the debut.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share