Toxic Holocaust is THE biggest name in the NWOTM and they have now released their 4th studio album, entitled Conjure and Command via Relapse Records. I'm going to be honest here and say that I didn't understand all of the hype about Toxic Holocaust based on their first 3 albums. I never found any of them to be overly exceptional, but my perception of the band changed when I heard the first single released from Conjure and Command. That track was "Nowhere to Run." This song was fast, catchy and aggressive which is always a formula for success in thrash. Then came the next track, "Bitch." After that familiar drum beat went away and the rest of the song came along I was hooked and immediately Conjure and Command became a must buy album for me.
Joel Grind and company delivered an amazing album this time around with a good mix of tracks here (total of 10) from fast thrashers to heavy and slow evil sounding tracks to some songs that featured some crust punk elements. The guitar tone on this album is great. Its heavy and the production isn't exactly old school but it doesn't sound very modern and it retains that evil and heavy sound. The vocals are great and mix with the rest of the music beautifully making the tracks that much more catchy and memorable. The solos sound like a mix of Kerry King and Kirk Hammett on Kill 'Em All, while the riffs range from straight forward thrash riffs to riffs that could be found in a War Ripper song.
There aren't really many criticisms I could make about this album, because it's that good and it is definitely a contender for thrash album, if not metal album of the year. The best tracks to be found here are "Nowhere to Run," "Bitch," and "Agony of the Damned." There isn't a single bad track on this record, but if I had to pick my least favorites they would be "I Am Disease" and "In the Depths (of Your Mind)."
Be sure to check out Toxic Holocaust on Facebook and like their page to stay updated with tour dates and everything else Toxic Holocaust!
http://www.facebook.com/ToxicHolocaust
Final Rating - 4.5/5 or 90%.
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