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

Review by Alex on August 26, 2019.

Grabunhold play a medieval inspired style of ‘black metal’ by primarily using Tolkien literature/references. Other bands have used Tolkien themes in their music before so this is nothing new; and in questioning the music, one would say it’s just a few steps shy of falling into the ‘stock’ black metal que. However, during the time spent listening to Unter dem Banner der Toten which translates to ‘Under the Banner of the Dead’ it possessed a very encapsulating feeling though very familiar given it resides within the safe-space of the genre. Yes, there are some instances that may resemble the 1st wave of black metal, however the primary bulk of Unter dem Banner der Toten falls well within the early 2nd wave of the genre, which isn't a bad thing considering how they carry themselves on this latest installment. 

The music itself comes across as being a mixture of Taake and perhaps Forteresse (instrumentally), especially on the song ‘Gespenster’ or ‘Ghost’ when translated. On some occasions the instrumentation presents itself as being folk driven but with the added spice of 2nd wave black metal. Wonderful landscapes are painted on each track but the best effort of such comes on ‘Hexentanz’. I think it translates to ‘Witches Dancing’?; please forgive me if I’m wrong, just going with what I gathered from the internet, but that song is so musing throughout and is even aided by some sort of short spoken sample that just revs-up the feeling; plus having no vocals makes the experience an even more absorbing one. Thus said, I find such music to be at its highest effect when vocals are kept at a minimum level and only introduced if having something to share or add. That’s how Grabunhold go about things here, no element is overused and is only brought into effect if seemingly needed or worthy of sharing space with the rest of the music. A bit of melancholy is introduced throughout the run-time of Unter dem Banner der Toten but is more prevalent on the final track ‘Grabunholde’. 

Noticeably the drums are fairly audible and the same goes for the guitars; Unter dem Banner der Toten was mixed cleanly, not in an overproduced way, more-so in a considerate manner. Often times in black metal, musicians aim for a sound that is either buried to obscurity or unevenly balanced and that's fine sometimes, but here Grabunhold show that they are making music to be heard and felt, thus insisting the production be adequate for the listener/s to engage and extract whatever it is that’s being presented. Unter dem Banner der Toten is only 17 minutes in length but feels wholesome and cohesive. I think this EP is a good build-up towards a full length; this truly touches the individual/s listening; you really get a sense of being surrounded by castles and lush beautiful landscapes whilst being under the threat of impending danger by necromancers and fiends. If any band can do this-much in so little time, then they deserve to be called musicians. Grabunhold will consume you with their beautiful yet vicious incantations here on Unter dem Banner der Toten. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10        

Review by Alex on August 26, 2019.

Grabunhold play a medieval inspired style of ‘black metal’ by primarily using Tolkien literature/references. Other bands have used Tolkien themes in their music before so this is nothing new; and in questioning the music, one would say it’s just a few steps shy of falling into the ‘stock’ black metal que. However, during the time spent listening to Unter dem Banner der Toten which translates to ‘Under the Banner of the Dead’ it possessed a very encapsulating feeling though very familiar given it resides within the safe-space of the genre. Yes, there are some instances that may resemble the 1st wave of black metal, however the primary bulk of Unter dem Banner der Toten falls well within the early 2nd wave of the genre, which isn't a bad thing considering how they carry themselves on this latest installment. 

The music itself comes across as being a mixture of Taake and perhaps Forteresse (instrumentally), especially on the song ‘Gespenster’ or ‘Ghost’ when translated. On some occasions the instrumentation presents itself as being folk driven but with the added spice of 2nd wave black metal. Wonderful landscapes are painted on each track but the best effort of such comes on ‘Hexentanz’. I think it translates to ‘Witches Dancing’?; please forgive me if I’m wrong, just going with what I gathered from the internet, but that song is so musing throughout and is even aided by some sort of short spoken sample that just revs-up the feeling; plus having no vocals makes the experience an even more absorbing one. Thus said, I find such music to be at its highest effect when vocals are kept at a minimum level and only introduced if having something to share or add. That’s how Grabunhold go about things here, no element is overused and is only brought into effect if seemingly needed or worthy of sharing space with the rest of the music. A bit of melancholy is introduced throughout the run-time of Unter dem Banner der Toten but is more prevalent on the final track ‘Grabunholde’. 

Noticeably the drums are fairly audible and the same goes for the guitars; Unter dem Banner der Toten was mixed cleanly, not in an overproduced way, more-so in a considerate manner. Often times in black metal, musicians aim for a sound that is either buried to obscurity or unevenly balanced and that's fine sometimes, but here Grabunhold show that they are making music to be heard and felt, thus insisting the production be adequate for the listener/s to engage and extract whatever it is that’s being presented. Unter dem Banner der Toten is only 17 minutes in length but feels wholesome and cohesive. I think this EP is a good build-up towards a full length; this truly touches the individual/s listening; you really get a sense of being surrounded by castles and lush beautiful landscapes whilst being under the threat of impending danger by necromancers and fiends. If any band can do this-much in so little time, then they deserve to be called musicians. Grabunhold will consume you with their beautiful yet vicious incantations here on Unter dem Banner der Toten. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10        

Review by Alex on August 26, 2019.

Grabunhold play a medieval inspired style of ‘black metal’ by primarily using Tolkien literature/references. Other bands have used Tolkien themes in their music before so this is nothing new; and in questioning the music, one would say it’s just a few steps shy of falling into the ‘stock’ black metal que. However, during the time spent listening to Unter dem Banner der Toten which translates to ‘Under the Banner of the Dead’ it possessed a very encapsulating feeling though very familiar given it resides within the safe-space of the genre. Yes, there are some instances that may resemble the 1st wave of black metal, however the primary bulk of Unter dem Banner der Toten falls well within the early 2nd wave of the genre, which isn't a bad thing considering how they carry themselves on this latest installment. 

The music itself comes across as being a mixture of Taake and perhaps Forteresse (instrumentally), especially on the song ‘Gespenster’ or ‘Ghost’ when translated. On some occasions the instrumentation presents itself as being folk driven but with the added spice of 2nd wave black metal. Wonderful landscapes are painted on each track but the best effort of such comes on ‘Hexentanz’. I think it translates to ‘Witches Dancing’?; please forgive me if I’m wrong, just going with what I gathered from the internet, but that song is so musing throughout and is even aided by some sort of short spoken sample that just revs-up the feeling; plus having no vocals makes the experience an even more absorbing one. Thus said, I find such music to be at its highest effect when vocals are kept at a minimum level and only introduced if having something to share or add. That’s how Grabunhold go about things here, no element is overused and is only brought into effect if seemingly needed or worthy of sharing space with the rest of the music. A bit of melancholy is introduced throughout the run-time of Unter dem Banner der Toten but is more prevalent on the final track ‘Grabunholde’. 

Noticeably the drums are fairly audible and the same goes for the guitars; Unter dem Banner der Toten was mixed cleanly, not in an overproduced way, more-so in a considerate manner. Often times in black metal, musicians aim for a sound that is either buried to obscurity or unevenly balanced and that's fine sometimes, but here Grabunhold show that they are making music to be heard and felt, thus insisting the production be adequate for the listener/s to engage and extract whatever it is that’s being presented. Unter dem Banner der Toten is only 17 minutes in length but feels wholesome and cohesive. I think this EP is a good build-up towards a full length; this truly touches the individual/s listening; you really get a sense of being surrounded by castles and lush beautiful landscapes whilst being under the threat of impending danger by necromancers and fiends. If any band can do this-much in so little time, then they deserve to be called musicians. Grabunhold will consume you with their beautiful yet vicious incantations here on Unter dem Banner der Toten. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10        

Review by Alex on August 26, 2019.

Grabunhold play a medieval inspired style of ‘black metal’ by primarily using Tolkien literature/references. Other bands have used Tolkien themes in their music before so this is nothing new; and in questioning the music, one would say it’s just a few steps shy of falling into the ‘stock’ black metal que. However, during the time spent listening to Unter dem Banner der Toten which translates to ‘Under the Banner of the Dead’ it possessed a very encapsulating feeling though very familiar given it resides within the safe-space of the genre. Yes, there are some instances that may resemble the 1st wave of black metal, however the primary bulk of Unter dem Banner der Toten falls well within the early 2nd wave of the genre, which isn't a bad thing considering how they carry themselves on this latest installment. 

The music itself comes across as being a mixture of Taake and perhaps Forteresse (instrumentally), especially on the song ‘Gespenster’ or ‘Ghost’ when translated. On some occasions the instrumentation presents itself as being folk driven but with the added spice of 2nd wave black metal. Wonderful landscapes are painted on each track but the best effort of such comes on ‘Hexentanz’. I think it translates to ‘Witches Dancing’?; please forgive me if I’m wrong, just going with what I gathered from the internet, but that song is so musing throughout and is even aided by some sort of short spoken sample that just revs-up the feeling; plus having no vocals makes the experience an even more absorbing one. Thus said, I find such music to be at its highest effect when vocals are kept at a minimum level and only introduced if having something to share or add. That’s how Grabunhold go about things here, no element is overused and is only brought into effect if seemingly needed or worthy of sharing space with the rest of the music. A bit of melancholy is introduced throughout the run-time of Unter dem Banner der Toten but is more prevalent on the final track ‘Grabunholde’. 

Noticeably the drums are fairly audible and the same goes for the guitars; Unter dem Banner der Toten was mixed cleanly, not in an overproduced way, more-so in a considerate manner. Often times in black metal, musicians aim for a sound that is either buried to obscurity or unevenly balanced and that's fine sometimes, but here Grabunhold show that they are making music to be heard and felt, thus insisting the production be adequate for the listener/s to engage and extract whatever it is that’s being presented. Unter dem Banner der Toten is only 17 minutes in length but feels wholesome and cohesive. I think this EP is a good build-up towards a full length; this truly touches the individual/s listening; you really get a sense of being surrounded by castles and lush beautiful landscapes whilst being under the threat of impending danger by necromancers and fiends. If any band can do this-much in so little time, then they deserve to be called musicians. Grabunhold will consume you with their beautiful yet vicious incantations here on Unter dem Banner der Toten. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10