Pretty interesting album cover I must say. Anyway, I think it's perdant to give a bit of background on the band. Toxik hails from Peekskill, New York. They formed in 1985, and then disbanded in 1992; to then re-unite in 2007. Their first album "World Circus" was released in '87, and was released on roadrunner; [at the time roadRACER] as was "Think This in '89". A short tour was supposed to happen in 2007, but was cancelled due to poor management. They are now currently writing new material and looking for a new bassist.
Know Toxik now? Yea. Cool.
I walked into this album with no hope at all. I heard that it was a progressive-speed-thrash metal album from the late 80s, and from an obscure band like this; it kind of spelled disaster; but i gave it a try anyway.
*Note I NEVER mention any songs at ALL during a review I don't want to skew your experience*
Right off the bat I was pleasantly surprised, the quality of the production on this album was great. Roadrunner releases from this time period always had awesome production, so right off the bat there was hope. As you progress through this album you will find that all the songs are incredibly unique, and full of mind bending riffing. To me this is what is most important about thrash metal in general; is the quality of the riffing; and this album is chalk full of them. There are definitely songs on here that will make your head bob involuntarily.
The riffs are not your run of the mill 80's thrash riffing either, they are definitely interesting and fresh sounding; even after all these years. [this was shocking] The guitar is definitely heavily influenced by progressive overtones, but not to the point that it becomes overly technical and they lose their charm. The solo's are also very memorable, and will have you playing air guitar in no time. Toxik definitely had some very competent guitar players. The solos are not just those shredding for the sake of shredding solos either, they really truly fit the songs, and compliment them. They wont bore you, to the point where you want the main riff to come back; no they are top notch.
The bass is nice and high in the mix, which is also a treat. The bass just doesn't follow the guitar like in most thrash, on this album its very audible and memorable, and definitely compliments the songs. Again; it's just not thrown in there for the sake of it, instead it's competently written and therefore works extremely well for the songs overall.
The vocals are simply awesome. I don't have a single bad thing to say about them. The vocalist can hit the high notes, and do the lower ones with ease. Although there isn't too much on the more aggressive side of vocals on this album, and that's a good thing. It just wouldn't fit. Whoever mixed this album, did a fantastic job, because the vocals fit nicely in the mix, and are always completely audible and clear. Nice.
My overall impression with this album, is that it is extremely competently written, and the songs are extremely diverse. The album has the power to draw you in to the point that you won't turn it off or skip songs; you'll sit on your ass and listen to the thing straight through. Every time. As I mentioned earlier, the riffing is really the highlight of this album, its incredible, really was ahead of its time I think. Oh and there is a great cover on this album too, it's probably the best cover I've ever heard. It's good.
Overall, this album was very memorable, and wont be one that your mp3 player WON'T see.
I give this 9/10.
-Fritz
P.S. I think I know what the dudes in Vektor listen to a lot :P
Contact me at: osiriswebzine2011@gmail.com
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