The Spotlight Kid Over the last decade or so many of the great metal bands that came out of the 80’s and died off in the 90’s have been handed a new lease on life by a metal fan base that has been eager for the return of the originators. One such band that I personally have been hoping would return, with a new album, is the New York legends, Toxik. Dis Morta is the band's first full length album since 1989’s drop dead classic Think This and though the band have produced some very good EP’s in recent years, since their reformation, the release of Dis Morta is sure to make a lot of fans, myself included, very happy to see their return.

Toxik were a band that employed a very sophisticated level of technicality and even dabbled in progressive tendencies while crafting their electrifying brand of Thrash. The question is have the band, led as always by guitar master Josh Christian, been able to maintain this level of creative prowess or has time diminished their abilities? Some of the legends of the past have been able to come back as strong as ever while others seem to have fallen into the trap of being formulaic, almost parodies of their former selves. So what is Dis Morta all about and how does it stack up?

The title track opens the album with what sounds like the description of some ancient biblical battle before the song comes in hard with a fairly slow and heavy riff. Before long we are treated to the first of many lead guitar barrages from Josh Christian who shows that he still is a true powerhouse of a player. His intricate and explosive solos and lead breaks are one of Dis Morta’s absolute highlights. New singer Ron Iglesias remains encamped in the upper registers for the vast majority of the album and definitely fits in well into the revamped line-up. I still think Mike Sanders was the best Toxik singer but Ron certainly has the chops and contributes well to the songwriting.

One of the things that always set Toxik apart was their ability to take you in unexpected directions yet also have strong and memorable melodies. On Dis Morta they seem to have mostly reclaimed that ability, however perhaps only after multiple listens. The production leaves a little to be desired. With the vocals and guitars getting a bit muddy at times with everything sounding a bit overly compressed as well. Also another issue I have is the lyrical content. I know anti-Christian themes are popular in metal but personally I find it all a bit immature and boring. However I know many fans like it when bands shit on Christianity so I’m sure I’m not representing the masses on that particular gripe. Besides those few issues though Dis Morta is fantastic and a big step up from the EPs they’d released since reconstituting a few years ago. Songs like “The Radical” are pure high speed thrash excitement and are loaded with plenty of muscle, but also a high level of dazzling technicality. The trademark Toxik melodies are there to be found on the first single, “Power”, as they are throughout, and of course the guitars once again are absolutely killer. Josh was always one of my favorite thrash guitarists and he is reasserting himself in that position with this album in my estimation. Fantastic, fiery and expressive stuff. I don’t want to overlook the rhythm section either. Guitarist Eric Van Druten, drummer James DeMaria and bass player Shane Boulos are all equally important to the power, precision and overall insanity. “Hyper Reality” is another example of the band seamlessly melding their trademark insane riffing and rhythms with catchy and memorable melodies on the vocals. There is also a progressive element to the tech thrash which is on display. However anyone familiar with Toxik’s classic albums, especially Think This, and even World Circus, to a lesser degree, will not be surprised by that feature. The band have claimed in their press release that Dis Morta is the natural continuation from Think This and while they are sonically quite different, on an elemental level there are many similarities and I can see what the band was thinking by making that claim. This is probably the heaviest the band has ever sounded as well, but it’s hard to tell if that’s a product of modern production or the music itself being any heavier. I suspect it’s the former. I’d be interested to see how this material will stack up in a live setting in comparison to their classic material.

Another interesting feature is the occasional inclusion of what seem like cultural melodies injected around the place. I’m sure I picked up the odd Russian anthem-like melody and Japanese folk music line here or there. But certainly not in an obvious way, and perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but to my ears it sounds like it’s by design.

It’s worth noting that the band sound as youthful and energetic as ever and Dis Morta relentlessly goes for the throat at all times. I will say that because of the complexity of the material and the muddy production sound, the album did feel a little impenetrable on the first few listens, at least from a melodic point of view. It is clear from the first listen, however, that the band has brought an impressive level of technical ability to the table and so that should bring you back for more, enough times for the melodies, which are strong, to eventually sink in. One of the few slight diversions on Dis Morta comes with the quasi-ballad intro to “Devil In The Mirror”, but it’s only a minute or so before the song erupts back into the high speed thrash attack, again laced with all the wonderful diversity, guitar ornamentations and electricity. Dis Morta closes with one of the most instantly memorable songs, the thrash beast, “Judas”. The intro riff almost sounds Tool-like, but once the band kicks in it’s more Toxik style insanity. The verses and chorus almost remind me of the melodic tendencies of bands like Jane's Addiction or early Muse, but with much more power, insanity and of course technicality. A great song to wrap up the album.

So to answer the question of how does this album stack up with their past classics, I think only time will tell. However musically this album is truly excellent. It is somewhat demanding as it requires the listener to invest in multiple listings, to truly reap the rewards, but the rewards are many and well worth the time. Dis Morta is a force to be reckoned with and only highlights the fact that Toxik have lost nothing with the passage of time. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)

UMUR "Dis Morta" is the fourth full-length studio album by US power/thrash metal act Toxik. The album was released through Massacre Records in August 2022. It´s the successor to "Kinetic Closure" from 2020 but is in fact the first full-length studio album solely featuring new material since "Think This" from 1989, as "Kinetic Closure" predominantly featured re-recorded versions of older tracks. Only guitarist Josh Christian remains from the original 1980s lineups, and since reuniting in 2013 (Toxik had their original run from 1985-1992) there have been quite a few lineup shuffles too, but on this release Christian is complimented by drummer James DeMaria, bassist Shane Boulos, lead vocalist Ron Iglesias, and guitarist Eric van Druten.

Stylistically the material on "Dis Morta" is technical thrash metal with US power metal leanings. The latter influence is predominantly heard in the vocals and some of the more melodic choruses, but "Dis Morta" is primarily a technical thrash metal release. Iglesias has a strong voice and he sings both raw and higher pitched screaming vocals. The music is very busy, energetic, and sometimes a bit chaotic sounding as so much happens in the soundscape. It´s not particularly dynamic music, and as a consequence the listening experience can be a little stressful. I´m often reminded of the UK thrash/grove/power/progressive metal act Biomechanical and their almost manic and multilayered approach.

Toxik are an incredibaly well playing act and as a listener you´ll be exposed to technical drumming, razor sharp thrashy riffs, blistering lead guitar work, and the above mentioned intense vocals (and backing, harmony, and choir vocals). The high level musicianship is arguably one of the greatest assets of "Dis Morta". The sound production is overall of a good quality, but it´s on the dry side and the multilayering of riffs, lead parts, and backing/harmony vocals sometimes drown the basic structures of a song. A better defined and detailed sound production could possibly have elevated the album to a higher state.

To fans of Toxik´s first two albums this may not be the comeback album they have dreamed about. For that it´s maybe a little too different sounding and harsh, but given a few spins it does become apparent that Toxik have composed a powerful, effective, and intriguing technical power/thrash metal release in the harder edged end of the spectrum, and the tracks begin to stand out more too. Because initially this is not an easily accessible release. It simply doesn´t invite you in, but instead demands of you that your ears and brain are to work hard to enjoy the listening experience. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Creating the Abyss" is a one track single release by US power/thrash metal act Toxik. The single was released through Massacre Records in July 2022. It´s a digital single which is accompanied by a lyric video. "Creating the Abyss" was released to promote the release of Toxik´s fourth full-length studio album "Dis Morta", which was released in August 2022. It´s the second single release promoting "Dis Morta", as the one track "Power" single was released in June 2022. "Creating the Abyss" appears as the sixth track on "Dis Morta".

"Creating the Abyss" is one of the heavier mid-paced tracks on "Dis Morta" (although it ends on a furiously fast-paced note), but it´s still a greatly energetic and progressive inclined technical power/thrash metal track, featuring sharp riffs, blistering lead work (which is actually out of this world on this particular track), technical drumming, and a screaming raw vocalist in front.

As a single meant to promote the release of "Dis Morta", "Creating the Abyss" is a great teaser release. The quality is high, the song is intriguing, powerful, and raw, and perfectly represents the style and sound of "Dis Morta". A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Power" is a one track single release by US power/thrash metal act Toxik. The single was released through Massacre Records in June 2022. It´s a digital single which is accompanied by a lyric video. "Power" was released to promote the release of Toxik´s fourth full-length studio album "Dis Morta", which was released in August 2022. "Power" appears as the fourth track on "Dis Morta".

Stylistically this is technical power/thrash, featuring an incredibly well playing band. Toxik have a relatively chaotic sounding and very busy style, which often reminds me of Biomechanical, and they don´t sound much like they did in the 1980s. On the other hand the sharp riffs, the technical drumming, the blistering lead guitars, and harsh screaming vocals were also all features on the band´s 1980s releases. It just sounds more chaotic, heavy, and more thrashy here.

"Power" works well as a teaser single to promote the release of "Dis Morta" and having listened to the full album, it represents the sound and musical style of the album well. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved

UMUR "Kinetic Closure" is the third full-length studio album by US power/thrash metal act Toxik. The album was released through SubLevel Records in February 2020. It´s the successor to "Think This" from 1989, so it´s been 31 years since the last album was released. Toxik initially existed from 1985-1992, reunited shortly and disbanded again in 2007, and then reunited again in 2013. They released the "In Humanity Pre-release" demo in 2014 and the "Breaking Clas$" EP in 2017, before recording the material on "Kinetic Closure". All material recorded in the 2014-2018 period was then released on the 2018 "III Works" compilation album. So the "Kinetic Closure" album is a re-release of some of the material from "III Works" (disc 3 from that compilation album). As opposed to the new original material featured on the 2014 demo and the 2017 EP, most of the material on "Kinetic Closure" is not new. Toxik have instead opted to re-record 8 tracks from their two 1980s full-length studio albums ("World Circus" (1987) and "Think This" (1989)). "Kinetic Closure" and "No Rest for the Wicked", which bookend the album are new compositions though.

There´s been a lineup change since the "Breaking Clas$" (2017) EP as Ron Iglesias has replaced Charles Sabin (who himself has replaced Mike Sanders not long before). Iglesias has a voice and singing style which is relatively similar to both Mike Sanders and Charles Sabin (how they sound on the material post the 2013 reunion, not their incredibly high pitched 80s selves). Both "Kinetic Closure" and "No Rest for the Wicked" are heavy and intriguing US power/thrash metal tracks and perfectly in line with how the band have sounded like since their 2013 return to the scene.

Re-recording classic material with a contemporary lineup will always divide the waters. Some will think of such an action as sacrilege, while others will enjoy listening to the classic tracks in a more updated sound quality and performed by more seasoned musicians. In this case I think the updated versions sound quite different from the originals, and I´m therefore able to enjoy them without constantly being reminded of the original versions of the tracks. I do prefer the originals over these re-recordings, but I´m able to appreciate these new versions too. It should be noted that the re-recordings were recorded live in the studio with very few studio overdubs, which is quite impressive considering the high level of technical playing and the relatively high complexity of the material.

"Kinetic Closure" a heavy, powerful, and detailed sound production, perfectly suiting the material. Upon conclusion I´d say re-recorded the classic Toxik tracks from the 1980s was a success, and the two new tracks are also quite enjoyable and therefore a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.