CD Reviews

• MetalIreland.com
  The hoary old 'Various Artists' tag is one that's rather more used to the bargain bins and skipped reviews than being any kind of flagship release. But it's a little different with this one given that it's the first serious attempt at representing the current state of Irish metal in nearly six years. That's notwithstanding Intoxicated 's first trilogy of efforts . But those still had the feeling of being cobbled together on a shoestring from any band that would appear, with several non-Irish inclusions rounding it all out. And to be pig honest, they were'nt really anything to shout about. With its fourth issue however, Intoxicated, and the Irish underground in general, is now seriously throwing its weight around. Demos come here every week, year upon year. And yes, it's always apparent just how much better things are now than they ever were. But collected into one place, with a sympathetic tracklisting and great art, the combined maturity and ability of bands from this country is finally given the chance to show itself.
  
  Alot of this is down to whatever mastering has been done on the original tracks. Importantly, they are consistent in terms of volume and weight, making it a smooth listen that lets each track work seamlessly into the next. And granted that almost all of these tracks came from a demo of some hue or other, the results are incredible.
  Opening with the updated math grind of the inimitable Pogrom, segueing immediately into Abbadon Incarnate, you're snared. And this is something that reflects itself across the excellently tracklisted duration of the cd. This means that after the cd's more brutal first tranche, Drogheda's fearsomely able Chosen inaugurate what could be considered its next turn, toward the more open and exploratory work of WOTH, Parhelia and Era Vulgaris. There are 18 bands on here, and naturally not every one can be mentioned. But the rub is that each seems to have a valid place, and none immediately appear to be either filler or undeserved inclusions. That's a massive statement, and one that doesnt apply to a great many compilations. It's also an interesting insight into our scene as it stands - how death metal still makes our core output, but also how intelligent and capable some of the bands are now making it (Pogrom, Chosen and Coldwar in
  particular) in terms of the calibre of their songwriting. It's brilliant that this cd represents the Irish underground so strongly, and sure isnt that just great, all's well, move along nothing to see here etc. But the proof of the pudding is that its a valuable addition to one's walkman, just like those old tapes you used to make. That's how good the tracklisting is. And it's in mine. Buy at once whether you think you're into your country's metal or not.
  
  4.2 / 5 - Ciaran Tracey ::: 04/01/07
  

• Live4Metal.com
  We've been getting quite a few quality releases from Ireland of late, so this compilation is a nice little tie in with what's hot in the Irish scene. With 18 bands on offer, most of them dabbling in Thrash and Death, this is not an album that follows any given trend. It's obvious all of the bands are playing their chosen brand of Metal because they wholeheartedly believe in it.
  
  First one that hit me between the eyes was the old school drive of Nuclear Dawn by Dublin thrashers Mass Extinction. For a minute I thought I was listening to my old Stars on Thrash vinyl from 1988.
  Hard to pinpoint their sound exactly, but I'd say fans of very early Slayer are in for a treat. Not necessarily giving us the best track on offer, Wreck of the Hesperus do stand out as being different and are quite rightly described as "sewer dwellers". If you imagine Gollum from LOTR indulging in a bit of doom and gloom, this is what he'd sound like, especially if his balls had been nailed to the floor. Two bands that have both been given favourable reviews on L4M recently, do both stand out. Ground of Ruin and particularly Era Vulgaris are bands to keep an ear out for. Back to the Thrash, of which I have to say the quality on this compilation is high. Viocosis from Co.Louth win the award for the best "heads down and head for the finish" breakneck approach and probably just edge it as my favourite band on the comp.
  
  All in all, considering this is mainly demo material, the sound quality, bar a couple of bands at the end, is surprisingly good. And it also highlights what a strong scene Ireland has at the moment.
  
  Steve Green

• ChroniclesOfChaos.com
  Various - "Intoxicated Vol. 4"
  
  You just don't hear much from the Emerald Isle in terms of metal these days. Given the relatively diminutive size of the country in the first place, this shouldn't be too surprising; but Underground Movement have dispatched a handful of their countrymen on down to the proctologist and found a four leaf clover hidden up their collective ass.
  Though a certain amount of diversity is present on "Intoxicated Vol.
  4", the anthology more importantly serves to highlight the links and common interests that coalesce Irish metal into an actual scene rather than a mere accidental diaspora of bands stagnating in their own isolation. For instance, there are unadorned modern death and black metal acts plying their trade on display (more on them later), but the most recurring motif throughout these eighteen tracks is a return to the basics of '80s influenced thrash -- that seemingly long ago era when brutality was a selling point, but you mostly got by on the strength of your riffs; the idea of relying on atmosphere or heaviness was mostly several years off (present somewhat even then, sure, but highly marginalized, whereas today it's become almost the norm).
  
  As with any compilation focusing primarily on new bands -- and, by natural extension, comprised of a hodgepodge of demos and micro-budget album tracks -- this approach succeeds wildly for some and fails to lift others above the echelon of mediocrity. Mass Extinction tip their hand straight off with a noodling, King / Hanneman guitar intro atop a clattering '80s knob job. The subject: nuclear war. Doesn't get much more retro than that. Victim X have also done their speed metal homework, although they introduce what becomes an unfortunate trend with many of the bands on this comp: diluting the essence of otherwise high quality musicianship with style-less hardcore vocals, none of which have much, if any, true identity -- in other words, the singer too often sounds like an afterthought, with the brunt of the emphasis placed on instrumental chops. It could be worse, but while we're evoking the '80s it might be mentioned that we tended to have our cake and eat it too back then.
  
  This trend of being 90% influenced by one style of music and tacking on an obligatory modern influence to fill up the other 10% is by no means restricted to Irish bands, of course. Furthermore, I prefer to take the optimistic route and see this all as an era where bands are mixing and matching, struggling to find an identity between the classical influences of the past and the insistent lure of Progress, yet on the cusp of creating something whole and coherent; no mere stepping stone, but an eventual full-blown destination point. In the meantime, however, we're faced with some fairly incongruous mash ups here, and we should be careful to laud the seeds of brilliance too early, lest they grow lazy and fail to bear fruit. A spade's still a spade, last time I checked.
  
  The next logical progression would be those bands bridging the technicality and riff-awareness of '80s thrash with the brutality and intensity of early death metal. This is probably the most plentiful group of the lot. Morphosis is the most longstanding of these, with roots back to 1985, though they come off more Earache than Combat. In spite of all that, Morphosis embrace modernism with a clean, instrument-inclusive production. Others -- Existing Threat, Pogrom, Inhumane, the glorious throwback that is Viocosis -- gleefully wallow in the sonic slop of pre-Gothenburg production limitations, their influences bubbling up out of the muck and festering unapologetically under any upturned, purist noses.
  
  Abbadon Incarnate are far and away the biggest name on _Intoxicated Vol. 4_, and they help to anchor the Irish scene in the present. These guys are a premiere black metal act that anyone picking up this anthology will probably have familiarized themselves with already.
  Flying somewhat further under the radar but equally noteworthy are Druid, also black metal but the virtual antithesis of Abaddon Inc.
  Whereas the former take the clean, technical route, Druid are awash in atmospheric dins redolent of loose flaps of sheet metal caught in a wind storm. At least they haven't forgotten that stopping every now and then to throw in an actual riff or chord progression does happen to make for compelling songwriting.
  
  Elsewhere the diversity reaches its peak with Wreck of the Hesperus, a droning doom escalation recalling pre-civilized medicine men channelling opium visions into a religious rite, one preordained to end in bloodshed, and Parhelia, a prog band with an emphasis on '70s rock grooves more so than what we usually call metal -- Yes vs. Gentle Giant rather than Queensryche or Dream Theater.
  
  And so, to synopsize: the Irish have realized the importance of hailing their roots while continuing to push things forward into newer, more experimental ventures, and their scene is more cohesive and well rounded for it. Just in time for St. Patty's Day, "Intoxicated Vol. 4" will hopefully be a sign of excellence to come.
  
  Jeremy Ulrey (7.5 out of 10)

• Metal-Observer.com
  Compilations are not generally something I like, but when they consist almost entirely of well written and well executed songs by demo bands that is something to be impressed by. Underground Movement's "Intoxicated" series has now reached its fourth installment and the general quality of the talent on display, while not enough to make me go all teary-eyed and patriotic, is sublime and indicative of just how strong and wide ranging this small island's local output is, from the impressive Jazz and Prog fused Death Metal of ERA VULGARIS, to the brutal Death Metal excellence of the re-emerging MORPHOSIS and the old school Thrash mastery of MASS EXTINCTION to the strangely up-tempo KATATONIA tinged instrumental Post-Rock of PARHELIA...
  
  Granted I can't really mention all of the bands, some of whom I've reviewed recently and more thoroughly anyway. Indeed, ABADDON INCARNATE, WRECK OF THE HESPERUS and OVEROTH have all had very positive reviews written by me, but I was actually quite unfamiliar with the bulk of the bands on offer.
  
  The intelligent and well written Death Metal of POGROM with its MESHUGGAH and AKERCOCKE influence showcased intelligence, where as the exuberant enthusiasm of MASS EXTINCTION (how have I never heard these guys before?) shows a completely different but equally deserving approach. Certain bands may not have really been to my taste, with the neo-PANTERA-tinged-Thrash of VICTIM X, GROUND OF RUIN's melodic take on Death Metal and COLDWAR's monotonous Sludge (great outro though) not really appealing to my interests. However, there is quality to be heard in almost every track on this release.
  
  I've included links to individual Myspace accounts or mp3s of some description in the track list. Most of these tracks can be sampled or heard via such a medium. Please take some time to check them out, so me are good, some great and some fucking fantastic.
  
  Niall