A couple years back, I had the great pleasure of reviewing Intoxicated’s long-awaited comeback (whether or not you knew it) EP, Walled. I’ll let you go back and re-read that review for the very long, complicated, but VERY interesting back story of the band’s history dating all the way back to 1990, but suffice to say, it was a very solid mix of old school thrash and death metal put together by longtime veterans of the Florida metal scene kicking the tires on this old project and bringing it back to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed Walled in all it’s nostalgic, throwback glory. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed their follow-up singles, particularly the awesome “Legacy’s Demise,” that have come out ahead of the release of their first full-length album in 25 years. That said, I was NOT even remotely prepared for how fucking good Watch You Burn is. Holy shit, my dudes.

Looking back now, after having already gone through this album I don’t know how many times, it seems Walled was just a band shaking off the rust and getting their metal legs back underneath them, because the leap taken from that EP to this is just ridiculous. Granted, again, this is a group of well-versed metal veterans who were very much a part of Florida’s death metal heyday, so maybe I shouldn’t be so shocked by this kind of output, and yet 30 seconds into the amazingly-titled opening track, “Assholian Mode,” I know this time Intoxicated are here playing for keeps, hitting you straight in the mouth with a monster riff and an all-or-nothing scream from vocalist Erik Payne to get this thing started in earnest. Shortly after, the band REALLY open the taps with a filthy blast beat section that will turn any venue into a wall-to-wall mosh pit, hitting with a sense of urgency and aggression their previous release never quite met – and that’s just getting the party started!

“Watch You Burn,” one of the album’s longest tracks at a whopping 3:22, slows things down a bit with a Schuldiner-esque Death metal-leaning attack, before launching into a groovy-as-hell chugging/solo section straight out of Obituary’s playbook that’s just infectious as all hell. The addition of guitarist John Sutton (Pain Principal) seems to have paid off in a big way, with the extra added layer of guitars really giving all of these songs more depth and presence. “Majestic Ride” (featuring guest vocals from Municipal Waste’s Tony Foresta) will get you up out of your seat ready to dropkick a damn bear, along with other crossover standouts like “Force Fed” and “Revelation Denied” that hit with such a vigorous energy you can’t help but get swept up by it all. They’ll have you ready to kickflip over a gator in no time.

Lending to the band’s sense of urgency is their sense of brevity. This is a band locked in and ready to get in and get out in around three minutes or less, hitting you with everything they got before moving on to the next round to do it all over again. I may not seem like a lot of time, but the band uses it well, and you’re rarely, if ever, left wishing they’d kept going longer.

Seeing as Andrew W.K.’s rapid and mysterious disappearance from the public doesn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon (and whatever the deal is, the TOTD staff do hope he’s happy, safe and living his best life), Erik Payne and bassist Gregg Roberts seem to have finally been able to put some serious time into this project, and holy hell do we all benefit from it. Generally speaking, these are sounds you’ll certainly be familiar with, but none of that matters one iota, because this is a band really starting to find its footing and hit it’s stride 32 years in to its unique, fascinating career. It’s one of the best stories in metal right now, and Watch You Burn most definitely deserves your attention.

[Visit the band's website]

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