Vocals on Intoxicate O.S. are sneering and ice-cold, mostly standard black metal mid-range growling, and complement the music very nicely without detracting from it. At times, they remind me vaguely of those of Akaias of Agathodaimon; a very raspy, leering mid-range growl. Their prominent use of keyboards and synthesizers invoke a dark, atmospheric feel and gives the music its distinct symphonic and industrial touch. The riffs are intricate, technical, and catchy as all hell. Production quality is good, but not TOO good; polished, but not sterile. It adds just enough finesse to the music without making it seem lackluster and generic. The songs are all very well written, and not repetitive in the slightest. As opposed to some bands, who come up with one solid riff and then overuse the hell out of it, Intoxicate O.S. is filled with MANY catchy riffs, riffs so good you catch yourself humming ‘em in the shower the next morning if you’re not careful (trust me, I know from experience).

Though they follow vaguely in the footsteps of many of their Finnish counterparts in the sense that they play a variety of melody heavy black/death metal, they have enough individuality to make the music they play entirely their own. They combine the best of industrial, symphonic, melodic, black, and death metal to create what can best be described as extreme industrial melodic black metal on steroids. Intoxicate O.S. sort of reminds me of some glorious bastard offspring of Aborym and Skyfire.

This record is near perfect, and just so damn addictive. I listen to it when I’m sad, I listen to it when I’m mad, I listen to it when I’m happy, I listen to it in the shower, and so on. Intoxicate O.S. is the musical equivalent of crack cocaine. If you like Aborym and Twilight Ophera, you’re almost guaranteed to love this one. It also has enough of an MDM-esque feel to it to appeal to fans of Withering Surface, Omnium Gatherum, Imperanon, and other comparable bands. Diehard traditional kvlt black metal fans may find the album to be a little bit overproduced and cheesy for their tastes, but for anybody seeking to go a little outside of the box, this is a perfect change of pace. Standout tracks include “Rat In a Maze” and “Embrace the Gods of Suffering”, though it's hard to pick the best out of such a great assortment of songs.

written by Aura Harris

Playing time: 40.06