[MUSIC REVIEW] ‘Widow’ by I Am Intention

Widow
by I Am Intention
[January 20, 2012 – Independent]
Verdict: 8 out of 10
Review by Nathaniel Lay

I Am Intention used to have an energetic, Southern metal appeal to them a year back. Then, somewhere around the time of writing the songs to this new EP, the band decided to go much heavier. The instruments became more traditional metal, and the screams dropped many levels lower. When it comes to the vocal department, I did have some trouble adjusting. For starters, the central deep scream isn’t one I find appealing often. Also, the singing, which does sound good, feels a bit out of place at times. I personally know that John Mckee doesn’t have a voice that should sound so high and clean. If he were to get a bit more gruff on the microphone in that area, it would sound much better. Also, it would help if he threw the screams around at different levels more. With these complaints aside, Widow is actually quite good. The title track falls flat, but the other three songs are very cool. “Rest” is probably the best track of the bunch with its memorable chorus and brutal lyrics and breakdowns. “Grieving” – which is a different version from what fans heard on Elephantiasis: A Heavy As Balls Compilation back during the fall of 2011 – has a good formula, but has some production quality problems. For some reason, things feel a bit watered down. Nonetheless, the construction of the song takes some interesting turns, showing that I Am Intention can become more technical if they feel the desire to do so. Lastly, you have “Inheritance”, which was probably the biggest surprise on Widow. It not only has the most unique sound, it also has a concept feel to it at times. The track seems to rebuild every twenty or so seconds, making the experience much more entertaining and interesting. Even with its flaws, Widow comes out as a good metal album from a band full of great guys. Still young and finding their sound, I Am Intention should have no problem really turning heads by their next release. They have the pieces there; now they just need to nit pack at their formula and mix things up more like during “Inheritance”. I’m definitely eager to hear what the band does next.

[---] Highlight Tracks: “Rest”, “Grieving”, “Inheritance”
[---] Bonus: We Are Triumphant, the band’s management, has the album online for a price of your choosing (no minimum). Get it dirt cheap or pay a full price to help the band out! It’s your choice.