By Tim Bolitho-Jones
Joel Grind is one of the great unsung heroes of thrash metal. For 20 years now he’s been plugging away in the underground and flying the flag for good honest, 80s-influenced head banging. Aside from the writing, composition and production duties, he plays every single instrument himself. Technically speaking there’s two other official members, but make no mistake, Toxic Holocaust are Joel’s baby.
And while they might not have scaled the heights of contemporaries like Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust still have a devoted fan-base hanging on every word. They’re not going to be disappointed with ‘Primal Future: 2019.’ It’s another energetic golden-age throwback, albeit rawer and punkier than a lot of the competition. The usual influences of Testament and Death Angel are present and correct, but Joel’s also got a taste for crossover, so D.R.I and Discharge leave their mark as well.
This won’t be at all surprising if you’ve ever listened to a Toxic Holocaust record before, but this is reliably entertaining even if it is overly familiar. ‘Chemical Warlords’ and ‘Black Out The Code’ are both intense thrash-punk with razor-wire riffs and memorable melodies, each one vicious but just the right side of fun too. The title track on the other hand is a groovy, foot-stomping number that segues nicely into an upbeat slammer in the second half. It allows for a minor breathing space without easing back on the heavy and comes across like Evile at their best, only more…uh…evil.
‘Iron Cage’ meanwhile is Joel letting out his inner Lemmy and writing a song that punks and metalheads will enjoy in equal measure. It’s fast, grimy and whiskey drenched and could only be more authentic if it made a black leather jacket spontaneously develop on the listener’s back. ‘Controlled By Fear’ on the other hand carries the catchiest riff on the entire album and is bound to be a fan favourite, even if ithe short running time means it ends somewhat abruptly.
Ultimately though, ‘Primal Future: 2019’ is a thoroughly uncomplicated meat and potatoes mosher, but one where the band have absolutely nailed the aesthetic. This could easily have been buried in a garage for the past thirty years and only just unearthed. So if you were too young to have experienced the glory days when every other song mentioned nuclear war and battered VHS copies of ‘The Terminator’ were passed around the playground like sacred treasures, this should give you some idea of what it sounded like. This isn’t big-budget ‘Stranger Things’ nostalgia though; it’s the nasty stuff that lurks below the surface.
- ‘Primal Future: 2019’ is released on 4 October. You can get your copy HERE.
Toxic Holocaust tour the ÜK with Municipal Waste, Enforcer and Skeletal Remains in December:
- Tuesday 3 – Birmingham, Asylum
- Wednesday 4 – Glasgow, Audio
- Thursday 5 – Belfast, Limelight
- Friday 6 – Manchester, Club Academy
- Saturday 7 – Leeds, Brudenell
- Sunday 8 – London, ULU
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