Dyonisis - Intoxicated

by Adrian Huggins

published: 30 / 1 / 2011

Label: Dyonisis
Format: CD

Unique-sounding second album from Sheffield-based self-described trip-hop, folk rock act Dyonsis

Review

Trip-hop, folk rock is how Dyonisis describe themselves, which was a combination I had to hear and, you know what, they seem to pull it off. They certainly edge more toward the rock side of things with early tracks like ‘Of the Fear’ and ‘Inside Out’ and both tracks feature magnificent build ups that really kick in with some brilliant force. It wasn’t till midway through the album and ‘Smart Mouth’ and ‘Dead to Me’ that I really got the trip-hop influence, which is used in a brilliantly subtle way mostly based around the drums. What really came to my attention, however, was the bass. The deep and rolling bass guitar haunts the entire album, but with glorious vocals from singer Nel (that would be the folk part there, kids), the bass does really take a back seat, or so I thought. ‘Intoxicated’ is one of those albums that has that amazing quality where by you start to notice it more and more as you listen to it again. It was very easy to get wrapped up in the (dare I say) slightly Evanasence feel of some of the songs. Call it a lazy comparison, but believe me I mean it in a very positive way. It is not the beardy men round a fire kind of folk that Dyonisis speak of. Nel’s haunting and ghostly almost gothic vocals sound like they could have been recorded at the dawn of time. It is these coupled with the confident and patient use of electric guitar that really take your attention when you first hear them. As the album progresses and when you listen for the third or fourth time that you really get a feel for the full spectrum that is covered here. I am not sure that all Massive Attack fans are going to jump straight on the Dyonisis bandwagon, but it is the combination of all these things that give them their sound and the underlying vibe of the album. Such a unique sound is hard to come by these days, but the Sheffield quartet have achieved it flawlessly.