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Alcoholika

Toxicnology Part 1 & 2

Review by Rick Damigella

This is oddest record I have had to review thus far. From what I can gather, this is a compilation of the two releases called Toxicnology Part 1 and Toxicnology Part 2. The music is a mixture of a number of styles but it mainly falls into a modern metal/techno/industrial mix. A lot of the tracks have some crunching guitar riffs but that same track will have a techno dance beat also. I could picture this being big on the Euro techno dance scene. Thrown in for good measure, you also get some 80’s new wave, so as a whole it is quite different to what I’m used to listening to. That being said, I do like it but I can’t see myself pulling out this CD very often. I would have to be in the right mood. Each of the tracks is relatively short, so this CD (or a collection of 2 CDs) works better as a whole.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2007 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Glamours Day Of Suicide
This is more of an intro that has a very sad piano played over sound effects. It’s only a 1 ½ minutes so it is over before it really begins.
Toxicnology
Now we get to the meat of the disc. This track starts off more thrashy but settles into a modern metal cut with some great riffing. The vocals are very much in that modern vein of deep satanic growls.
Etienne
The band completely switches gears and goes with a heavy Frankie Goes To Hollywood type of song. It is sung in a different language and has that 80’s new wave sound stamped all across it.
Indousrtial Messiah
Now we get that techno/metal sound I was talking about. This would be the type of track you would be dancing to in some German club. The vocals are very Dani Filth style also.
Mi Sangre
This cut is very similar to the previous one except it is has more extreme vocals and it is sung in a foreign language.
Desolation
Switching gears again, the band employs a female vocalist (singing in a foreign language) for this updated 80’s new wave date tune. There are extreme vocals that are mixed in that make a nice mix between styles. This is one of the better tracks on the CD.
La Bestia
As the title might suggest, this is a heavy modern metal cut that I believe deals with the devil (I didn’t get a lyric sheet but I can kind of make it out). There are parts where a female is speaking that sounds like they may be incantations. This is a very evil sounding tune.
Souffrir
We go back to the new wave sound with this one. The guitar is still heavy but the keyboards keep things lighter. The vocals are a combination of a female vocalist and that extreme metal vocal sung over it. This is one of the “musical tracks” on this album.
Crimelinks
This is has a very cool old school thrash sound to it. Of all of the cuts on this disc, this is the most straight forward and basically consists of only that thrash style without other elements mixed in. Too bad it is so short because this would have been a great track had it been maybe 5 minutes.
Dunkel Heit
The intro has a female vocal that is almost speaking but that quickly gives way to a modern metal tune. The female vocals come in again during the chorus which is more thrashy.
Depression
Listen to the beginning keyboards sounds and you swear that that was sampled from the "Terminator" movie. This piece is more techno/industrial with new wave mixed in. The male vocalist sings in that Dani Filth style but female vocals are added to lighten up the overall sound.
Tristezza
The piano intro bears a remarkable resemblance to the first cut “Glamours Day Of Suicide.” That piano continues throughout this more traditional metal tune. The male vocals are toned down and sung more naturally. The female vocalist crops up again and adds a nice little interlude in the middle. Not only is this the longest track on the record, it is also the best.
Trance La Mort
This track starts off in more of a Euro techno dance motif that is keyboard heavy but during the chorus, the guitars come through. The female vocals have an echo on them that give it a ghostly sound and the male vocals have that modern metal growl.
Raza de Bronce
We get more updated new wave during the intro but during the verses, it is gets a little more modern metal. It is a cool track and would be huge in the dance scene.
Desolate
This is the sister song to “Raza de Bronce.” They are similar in style but this one is about a minute shorter. Both are good songs but, like the rest of the CD, these songs work better as a collection, not separately.
Nazischwein
Now we get more modern metal without that techno beat that is found on most of the album. As with most of the songs, the lyrics deal with the darker side of life.
Pene Tration
The title is a little play on words but it is about exactly what the title suggests. I could picture this being the soundtrack to some weird German porn. It has a techno/industrial beat and the music is pretty tame but add the lyrics (and the sound of a woman having an orgasm) and you have a perfect backdrop for hardcore porn.
Hannibal
A jungle drumming intro starts off the tune before it breaks into an old school thrasher. There are a few different parts that contain some cool riffing but for the most part it sticks with that thrash sound.
Suenos
I like it when the band settles in for that new wave sound. They do it well and this track is a good example of that. It is sung in a foreign language but that doesn’t take away from it. Good music is good music no matter what language it is in.
Witchcraft
This cut could easily be a soundtrack to one of those teen horror movies like “The Craft” or “Covenant.” It is a techno song but it is not as much of a club tune as the others on the record.
Matador
The intro is the sound of children’s voices and toys and then like a brick in the face, we are hit with a modern metal thrash attack. You won’t catch this one on the radio due to the word “f****” being the main lyric in the song.
Hidden Track
As if trying to make the disk come full circle, this acts as on outro but it is almost exactly like the first cut “Glamours Day Of Suicide.” The track then goes silent for about 5 minutes before the sound of a child crying, a man screaming, and a satanic voice finally finish off the album.
 
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