Review by Michael on March 3, 2024.

I remember when I discovered Skeletal Remains back in 2012 with their debut album Beyond The Flesh and how I recommended it to a friend telling him that if he wanted to have something like Asphyx this band would be pretty cool. Well, now 12 years later there isn't too much left that would justify such a statement. The band has morphed into a very brutal death metal band that lives from the relentless and bonebreaking riffs and drumming and also Chris Monroys' vocals have changed from Martin van Drunen-like to something more abyssic, monstrous and gurgling. Of course this isn't a big surprise if you followed the band and their last releases because they went more brutal with each album but this very uncompromising and highly unmelodic approach is remarkable at least and I didn't expect such a daring step. And no, it isn't just daring, it is also very challenging, I would say. When I gave it a first spin, I sat there afterwards, being pretty much clueless and to some certain point also a little bit disappointed. But giving Fragments Of The Ageless some more listens, I must state that this one is definitely a “grower”.

'Relentless Appetite' is pretty much what was expected by the guys. The song has many twists and turns and a thunderous double-bass line and with the reverbing and sonorous vocals with the double-layered voice this song spreads an atmosphere that Morbid Angel created on the after-D-album-era. Not to forget the pretty sick guitar solo that we can find here. And Morbid Angel plus Hate Eternal are probably the most influential band on that album. The gloomy opening riff in 'To Conquer The Devout' sounds like a “Gateways To Annihilation” copycat and when the vocals set in, this might be taken from some old Hate Eternal albums. So it is quite fitting that the guys did cover them with 'Messiah Of Rage' from their 1997 demo which I unfortunately didn't get with the promo. With 'Unmerciful' Skeletal Remains have a pretty long song on board too and this one is more creeping and mid-tempo paced and threatening because of the monolithic atmosphere. This one is probably the song to which the listener may get access easiest to. Although the track is not really less brutal, the structures are easier to comprehend and there are some more catchy parts than in the other songs. And before the Hate Eternal cover closes the album, the guys decided to show the world how skilled they are on their instruments. 'Evocation (The Rebirth)' is a 5 ½ minutes long instrumental song that somehow appears to be very hypnotic because of its repetitive elements but also a little bit too long and because I never was the fan of instrumental tracks, also pretty unnecessary.

Well, the band has done a very solid job with Fragments Of The Ageless although the one or the other fan might have some issues with the album because of the above mentioned aspects. After listening several times to it now, I must admit that I like the album now, especially when I am pretty pissed off because of something. Oh, and one note about the cover – this time they engaged Juanjo Castellano and Dan Seagrave, what a great mixture when it comes to metal art. While Dan Seagrave put the fiery and sinister atmosphere very detailed and (please forgive me this term in this case) caring on canvas, Juanjo Castellano was responsible for the inlay artwork and I guess both did a fantastic job with that.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on October 3, 2023.

The albums of Toxic Holocaust are like a one night stand. They make fun and it's a good experience, but they do not have a long lasting effect and they fail to enrich your life on the long run. "Chemistry of Consciousness" does not mark an exception. It delivers incendary riffs in abundance, it is more metal punk than other bands like Warfare ever were and friends of complexity or compromises will not find a single track to enjoy. Toxic Holocaust do not play simple songs. To express it this way would be a euphemism. The pieces are totally primitive. "Rat Eater", equipped with the "excessive" duration of 3:43 minutes, has a kind of mid-paced intro, but the remaining songs put the emphasis on speed. Radioactive radiation in musical form - that's what one gets when listening to this document of iron-fisted fury. It's a kind of metal orgasm and here we've come full circle. Sad but true, we all know that orgasms usually do not last very long - regardless of the question whether or not it is a one night stand.

As a logical consequence, the album clocks in at 28 minutes and this duration does not leave much room for experiments. Even little deviations are not in sight. Each and every track is reduced to the essentials. The songs run down the road of thermonuclear devastation. Joel Grind, true to his pseudonym, grinds everything that stands in his way. The man with the doglike haircut worships his own song formula and the album does not indicate that he will ever modify it. Therefore, everybody knows what sound Toxic Holocaust stand for and indeed, you get exactly what you expect. The listener will not find any depth or any form of interwoven structure here, but the tracks deliver eleven slaps in the face.

The crunchy guitars dominate the sound of this adequately produced work. No doubt, the full-length does not lack pressure and force. It does not spread the aura of the underground, but it is not at risk to be blamed for sterility as well and one thing is for sure: the impact of the compositions is bolstered by this aggressive mix. Sometimes I wish that the songs would have a little bit more substance. A surprising break would also be nice every now and then, but I also like the radical philosophy of the band and therefore I enjoy the album. Especially highlights such as "Out of the Fire" with its fantastic opening riff, the flattening "Rat Eater" or the hyperfast "Salvation Is Waiting" with its restlessly flickering guitars deliver an appropriate portion of insanity. Anyway, there are no great quality differences between the single songs and the album is simply too short to think about pressing the skip button.

Needless to say that this record is highly recommended for fans of Genesis, Queen, Rush or Sieges Even.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10