INMORIA, Intense @The Roadhouse 30/10/11

There’s room in the world for all sorts of Rock and Metal music, but if RTM had to be pinned down on its absolute favourite then the quintessentially British two lead guitar sound would probably win out.

Good news then that Intense are tonight’s chief support, because no frills metal is exactly what they deliver. Four years have elapsed since their “As Our Army Grows” album hit our stereos and that era is well thumbed this evening with “Our Last Hope” and “Anger of the Ancients,” both seeing the band in top form. But this is no exercise in naval contemplating nostalgia, because new opus “The Shape of Rage” came out last week and the band are eager to showcase it.

Thankfully there has been no massive change in sound in the near half-decade gap if “The Elemental” is representative of its charms and some increased touring through the next year could yet see the largely unheralded Londoners make a bigger splash.

This date is the final one of a short UK tour and Inmoria are in convivial mood. It is the Swede’s first visit to these shores and they have evidently enjoyed the trip. It is also clear that the two bands have got on famously and the atmosphere is cordial in the extreme. Indeed bass man Tommi Karppanen and guitarist Christer Andersson both spend more time off stage than on as they race round the venue at every opportunity.

All of which is rather at odds with the Inmoria’s sound. Mining a similar area to Dream Theater, they are here to plug their new “A Farewell to Nothing” album –  Perhaps because of this, much of the material is from that CD, with  ”The Mirror” and ”My Last Farewell” instantly hitting home, which considereing vocalist Ronny Hemlin  was a last minute replacement for this tour, is no mean feat.

                                                                  

                                                                The closing jam session

A couple of songs from debut ”Invisible Wounds,” are aired, ”Come Insanity” and ”Fantasy” and during the latter – the last song of the tour, Intense return to the stage and the evening ends with a jam session (”this is where we entertain ourselves” says Andersson.)

Thankfully the tiny crowd didnt seem to bother them too much with the gregarious Kappanen explaining to RTM at the end they were glad to be in England, at the birthplace of metal. And with bands like this keeping the flag flying, the genre is in safe hands too.