Blackened Thrash Metal masters TOXIC HOLOCAUST are back with a brand new full length album, out today via Relapse Records.
The album fires in with total strength, blasting out a violent assault of Venom influenced speeding chaos. Anthemic and captivating, Toxic Holocaust are back on top form with a thrashing onslaught fit for such a marvellous year in Heavy Metal. While the opening song may be ferocious, it also features some melodically chanted vocals that add to the more catchy side of the music before a blistering solo takes us back to primitive hellfire. The production work is really old school but also quite clean cut which could be a dealbreaker for some, in that it might actually be too good of a production style for this kind of music (a double edged sword and a contradictory statement). What I cannot fault is the energetic delivery, excellent songwriting, killer riffs and overall enjoyability of this album. While it may not be your average slice of blasphemous noise, the futuristic thrasher is certainly not in a bad state of affairs with Toxic Holocaust taking a more modern but equally aggressive approach to their music and touching on some Crossover elements, but still keeping the blackened edge intact, even if more subtle than previous records. I cannot say that I prefer this more up-to-date style, however I also would never deny that I still really enjoy it which is perfectly satisfactory and as far as this stuff goes Toxic Holocaust deliver pure chaotic, energetic, bombastic and devastatingly fast musical brilliance that is definitely going to appease the maddening lust of all Thrash Metal maniacs. There is a good reason Toxic Holocaust is a name that all fans of the genre are familiar with and they clearly have no intention of giving up their position. The lead work on this album is what made it really loveable to me with “Black Out The Code” being a great example of a classic 80s NWOBHM solo that could have been torn from a Judas Priest song making a blistering impact on more modern extremity. Similarly the album ends on a galloping high-note slice of Heavy Metal nostalgia, of course with plenty of slabs of meaty Thrash Metal stomps thrown in for good measure. A thoroughly impressive release, while not my favourite from Toxic Holocaust, nothing short of a fantastic record and one I believe will still be a contender for many thrashers’ album of the year. -7.5/10
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