Joel Grind IS Toxic Holocaust. The one man death metal mission. Many session musicians have fallen by the way side since the birth of Toxic Holocaust but it has been solely Mr. Grind cultivating this landscape of horror and killer riffs since the band’s inception in 1999.
The first impression you get from Joel Grind is that he knows his shit. He seems like the type who has been hiding in his “Mom’s” basement for years collecting black and death metal vinyl, shredding to himself and writing pen pal letters to Obituary before finally realising that he could do it all himself. After donning his bullet belt and leathers he set to work on making his third full length and relapse records debut ‘An Overdose of Death…‘ Which, I can tell you now, kicks seven shades of shit out of your ear drums.
On first listen it’s easy to write off Toxic Holocaust as a rip-off band. On closer inspection you realise that they are not a dodgy tribute act or covers band but simply students of the game. Their bludgeoning tracks, backed up by an equally vicious live performance, should silence all critics and nay sayers. Toxic Holocaust are young and blood-hungry. They have taken what made bands like Venom, Exodus, Slayer, Kill ’em all era Metallica and Testament so great and given a fresh take on it from a young, rabid perspective. It’s by no means original, but my god is it refreshing to hear such balls to the wall metal from the younger generations.
It’s hard not to head bang or wish you were watching this band live when you hear the record. From opening track ‘Wild Dogs‘ to the amazingly titled ‘Nuke The Cross‘ the Holocaust don’t give you time to breathe.
Pounding the skins on this LP is Zeke’s own Donny Paycheck who has the ability to produce a sound from his drums on par with a war zone. Believe me when I say, friendly fire this is not! The speed at which he plays is equally matched with Grind’s raspy and gargled vocals. On N.W.O.B.H.M-esq ‘Lord of The Wasteland‘ Grind sounds like he’s dining on a meal of broken glass and rusty needles. ‘Grave Lord’ is the one for the old school speed metallers and will certainly have you wishing you were witnessing the carnage live.
‘Future Shock‘ salutes the classic Motorhead sound where as, what is bound to become a pit classic, ‘War Is Hell‘ unleashes a barrage of killer licks and breakdowns. This album grips you from start to finish with absolutely no let up. It’s simply packed with brutal riffs and has no room for filler.
With so many bands these days churning out trash and death metal releases it has become increasingly harder to siv through the shit. Toxic Holocaust stand decapitated head and shoulders above the rest. ‘An Overdose Of Death…‘ is one of the best albums of this genre I have heard in while. I strongly suggest you strap on your gauntlets, dust off the studded biker jackets, bow down and submit yourself to the Gravelord.
Tom Lindsey