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INTOXICATED
Watch You Burn

Seeing Red (2022)
Rating: 8/10

Although there are a few bands around the world with the name Intoxicated, I’ve taken quite a liking to this thrashy bunch from Florida. They first emerged back in the early 90s and a demo entitled Drain came in 1996, which was followed a year later with their debut full-length platter Metal Neck. The combo went rather quiet after that, but they did return in 2020 with the Walled EP.

Intoxicated is a four-piece comprising of Erik Payne (vocals and guitar), John Sutton (guitar), Gregg Roberts (bass and backibg vocals) and Mike Radford (drums). The guys are well travelled having been in a variety of other bands including Pain Principle, Andrew W.K. and Aruspex, and one can hear the experience when you lay into the ten tracks offered up here.

Watch You Burn has elements of crossover to it, as evidenced with opening tirade ‘Assholian Mode’, and one can also be impressed by the guitar tone. So this is serious and sturdy with little room for comedy.

‘Grovel’ brings some nice angles to its sound, the band not afraid to explore a more technical approach, although for the most part it’s a scathing delivery, more so in the vocals which really do brim with seething aggression.

There are strong hints of Teutonic thrash with this opus, although there are also elements of death metal too, particularly in some of the leads. So what you get is a very aggressive blend of styles, all very much no nonsense and yet different to the glut of generic bands doing the rounds in an attempt to revive the 80s.

I guess because these guys were around in the early 90s there’s more an understanding of what sort of ingredients are required to make thrash this good without resorting to cliché. Although there are flashes of all manner of bands from the likes of Sadus, Possessed, Exhorder and those German titans, it still has its own core element.

The title track is brilliant, employing a few groove metal elements and some excellent fret work. ‘Force Fed’ is a hellish, nightmarish feast for the ears with that steady, rhythmic pulsating, and ‘Dumpster Drive’ brings more killer melody in its riffage.

Erik Payne’s vocal style is a sneering, snappy outburst which at any moment could drift into deathlier growls or a hardcore howl, but it remains steadfast in its mission to drag this meaty opus through a selection of immediately infectious tunes such as the superb ‘Analyze’ with its incredible percussion. I’ve also got to mention the wholesome feel of the bass too which just adds further dense foundations to this solid heap of aggressive metal.

Watch You Burn feels streetwise, knowing and yet simplistic enough in its approach. Occasionally a genre needs a kick up the arse and Intoxicated have done that with one big boot.

Neil Arnold

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