With the new Chemistry Of Consciousness (Relapse), frontman Joel Grind expands the Toxic Holocaust sound, explodes it with color and textures that seem more vibrant than the none-more-blackness of 2011’s Conjure And Command. The speed and righteous indignation of artists like Discharge and G.B.H. combine with the massive mixdown and mastering by heavy-music maven and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, creating a juggernaut of an album, a record that fires on all cylinders all the time. “Awaken The Serpent,” “Mkultra” and “Out Of The Fire” smack the listener upside the head like the wayward boot of an especially surly crowd surfer. Bassist Phil Zeller will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our recent Toxic Holocaust feature.
Zeller: Well, I’m a little biased on this one as well, because Halsey is my roommate and my good friend, but that does not detract from the sheer talent and versatility she has as an artist. Having done many album covers and artwork for a plethora of bands spanning the punk and metal landscape, as well as publications, Halsey has proven herself to be transcendent of themes, and mediums. She has mastered everything from pen-and-ink stippling styles, to watercolor, to colored-pencil, to pencil drawings that look so incredibly real that you would swear they are photographs. Her subjects go everywhere from speed-n-spiked skull-headed punks, to beautiful animal pieces in sometimes surreal nature settings. You can see some of her post-apocalyptic colored-pencil work on the cover of our 2008 release, An Overdose Of Death. Cheers, Halsey, hope I embarrassed you a bit!
