Although the late 80s saw death and black metal come into their own, taking away much of the initial excitement of thrash, the genre’s second wave is nothing to scoff at. Bands like Testament, Death Angel, Vio-Lence, and Sacred Reich kept thrashers moshing well into the early 90s with their no nonsense brand of high speed aggression. Running alongside this scene was a crop of thrash bands focused on the technical side of the genre, placing importance on musicianship over brute force. One such band was Toxik, whose penchant for musical virtuosity, social commentary, and Priest derived traditionalism should’ve made them a household name.
Instead, Toxik folded 30 years ago and remained largely inactive until their 2013 reunion. Granted, I use the term “reunion” lightly, as it was essentially founding guitarist/songwriter Josh Christian and World Circus era vocalist Mike Sanders with a band of new musicians. Sanders left, which led to the return of Thing This era singer Charles Sabin. And like clockwork, Sabin left too. Enter newcomer Ron Iglesias. For those who have been reading this webzine long enough, you’re no stranger to Iglesias’s main band, Paralysis, for which he plays lead guitar. In all truthfulness, I was skeptic of his talents as a lead singer. After all, Sanders and Sabin have big shoes to fill.
Needless to say, Dis Morta, Toxik’s first full length in 33 years put all my doubts to bed. Not only does Iglesias boast the stratospheric vocal range to sing this material, but the current incarnation of the band is faithful to the spirit of those 80s releases. The opening title track sets the tone with its over the top arrangement, boasting a violent melee of chug riffs, explosive vocals, and solos that are as dramatic as they are chaotic. “Feeding Frenzy” and “Power” stay true to the 80s thrash ethos, pushing overload on the speedometer, while “The Radical” is emphasized by aggressive slam riffs and modern production done right.
Towards the album’s halfway mark, things shift gear towards the prog side of the spectrum. There’s “Hyper Reality”: A full blown mindbender with complete lack of regard for convention and sanity along the lines of Voivod. “Creating the Abyss” is another page out of the prog metal playbook, with its dense atmosphere and claustrophobic instrumentation. These cuts may be too complex for the average thrasher, but their made up for by the likes of “Devil in the Mirror” and “Straight Razor”, the latter of which sounds straight off World Circus. The blatantly prog “Judas” rounds things out, and while I feel it would’ve been a better choice to close with a balls to the wall thrasher, it’s another rock solid example of prog metal that cuts to the point.
While Dis Morta is not of the same caliber as its two predecessors, it is a stunning return from one of tech thrash’s finest bands. Toxik can still thrash with the best, showing no exhaustion in the songwriting or musical department. If society continues on its current path, I’m sure there will be no shortage of Toxik albums for years and years to come…so long as one of our zealous global overlords doesn’t press the red button and kill us all first.
7 out of 10
Label: Massacre Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Realm, Heathen, Agent Steel