Year: 2013
Earlier this year, I randomly
came across a Facebook post which said that some bloke called Joel Grind was
giving away his first solo album for free download on his bandcamp page. Looking at the name and artwork of the album (he called it 'The Yellowgoat Sessions'), I naturally was intrigued. Little did I know that I was about to
discover a musician whose genius cannot be contained in a few words. This guy
has been as active as quicksilver, with his numerous side projects aside from
his main project i.e. Toxic Holocaust. What is fascinating about this, is each
and every project of his, has a unique sound and no two projects sound the
same! Coming back to his main project, Toxic Holocaust had been silent for
almost a year, before announcements came that a new album was in the works and
immediately this album shot up to the top of the ‘Albums I look forward to
list’. After some impatient waiting, it is finally here.
Now there are a few things I
expect before diving into an album by a band like Toxic Holocaust: Speed,
variety, darkness and overall enjoyment. Toxic Holocaust’s fifth full length,
titled ‘Chemistry Of Consciousness’ delivers all this and more. This album is
being released through Relapse Records and will drop on 29th October, 2013.
The album delivers a rough
sounding flavour of Black Thrash Metal, infused with some punk urgency. The
riffs that accelerate to breakneck speeds and the dark and grim atmosphere is
sure to leave any person who likes black or thrash metal, with a broken neck.
Starting off with the track ‘Awaken The Serpent’ the listener is treated to
riff after riff of blackened thrash that have been expertly crafted at the
hands of the genius who goes by the name of Joel Grind.
The songs are short and every
track hits bulls eye, owing to the flawless execution. There is no dearth for
evil here in the music. And the voice of Joel Grind adds
that much more darkness to the lyrics he spews out. The drummer Nikki Rage works
hard to churn out some powerful and fast beats infused with some great fills.
The punk elements are ever present and they add a fast and hard edge to the
tunes. Bass work of Philthy Gnaast is heavy but not very prominent that it
makes a great impact.
The production is dirty and
griminess of it makes it all the more appreciable. I couldn't for the sake of
me, imagine an album such as this, had it been done with a crystal clear production. The
guitar solos are rare on this record, but when they do rear their ugly heads,
they make sure to leave an impression. With a playtime of only half an hour,
this is a very short record. But that is alright, because by the time the
record ends, the listener would need some serious nursing for his / her neck.
It’s a weird coincidence that on
the same date two albums of almost similar styles of music are releasing albums that
sport serpents on the cover. I am talking about the new Skeletonwitch album of
course and comparison is going to be inevitable. Now ‘Serpents Unleashed’ was a
great album. Nonetheless, I am going to have to give the edge to ‘Chemistry of
Consciousness’ for the sole reason that it is not only dirtier but also a tad
bit more evil sounding.
It has not even been more than a
year since I discovered Joel Grind, but I have no doubt in my mind that this
guy is a genius. With ‘Chemistry of Consciousness’, Toxic Holocaust have added
another deadly album to their already lethal discography.
Rating: 98%
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