Audio By Carbonatix
Joel Grind is Toxic Holocaust, a one-man metal militia that unabashedly indulges every single thrash cliché, from the speed-shred of ’80s standards such as Slayer and Motörhead to lyrics almost exclusively about annihilation, nuclear or otherwise. However, Grind’s throwback is most potent in its style: He and the shredders-for-hire who back him up look like Buscemi, Sandler, and Fraser in Airheads. And rest assured, if there’s one thing a bandanna-and-studded-leather-jacket thrash dude loves, it’s throwing a totally righteous party.
Toxic Holocaust comes from the post-Lemmy school of apocalyptic revelry that used the impending obliteration of mankind as inspiration for decadent catharsis by way of heavy boozing and slam dancing. While ’80s thrash was self-serious in imagery, crossover — the newly minted hardcore and speed-metal fusion perfected by Lemmy and Motörhead as well as the circle-pit enthusiasts of D.R.I. — still raged with the party stamina of both punks and metalheads. How else were they going to blow off all that Reagan-era steam? Iran-Contra! AIDS! The space shuttle Challenger! All that stuff would make you want to mosh hard too.
In this sense, Toxic Holocaust provides a historical re-enactment that’s ideal for party animals who just can’t get over Anthrax’s Among the Living LP.
