Toxic - Mandylion (Midijum Records)

[Shimmer]

1. Topsick – 7:36

 

2. Afrodisiac – 7:52

 

3. Knuckleduster – 7:24

 

4. Last stop detox – 7:59

 

5. Poison – 7:29

 

6. Industrial saga – 8:02

 

7. Xenomania – 7:26

 

8. Armorial – 7:16

 

9. Spanish Fly – 7:29

 

All tracks at 142 BPM

 

Topsick – Nice intro, although it doesn’t take off, it lays the scene for what is to come. The melodies are nice, the guitars rips, but the general vibe of the track doesn’t really get under your skin. It moves along nicely and then finishes at a nice speed.

 

Afrodisiac – A killer kick! It pumps you. You’re working for it. And that bass line that we associate with Toxic comes in and then it starts. The ticking of the clock, the mysterious voices, and then the song begins in full gear. This track has much more going on it than we realise. It’s 142 bpm, but there’s so much written between each second that you are in a trance. Well, not maybe not a trance but definitely are fixed on what this is saying. A great second track.

 

Knuckleduster – Another killer KICK!!! You have gotta love that kick. On the right system, that could almost send your heart into convulsions. This track picks up after a slow start. Some really nice violins create a great atmosphere. The bass line sounds like it came from a mainstream hip-hop song, but in this track it has much more importance. The bass is carrying the weight, while the violins swing above. The vibe of this track makes me think of something quite important. Maybe the force the dance floor can bring, or maybe it’s trying to save you before you go into oblivion on the upcoming tracks. Who knows if it is even trying to do something, but it does do something.

 

Last Stop Detox – The title says it all. From here, it’s all foreign. A very familiar sound comes into this track and we are no longer in a world of unknowns. The soft harmonies of this track are very well-received. It exists rather than forcing you to listen. The kick isn’t as powerful as it was before but the bass line is still persisting. There’s also a little sound that exists in the background which will have your ear trained on it for the whole track. Very nice, smooth, consistent track.

 

Poison – This could almost be ambient. This track, given the right mood could bring a tear to your eye. The violins soar, then the electronics come in, and the mood is broken. The kick kicks, the bass is bassy, the vocals are disturbing. Really interesting set up. The construction is fascinating, if not for only trying to understand the direction, which they intended for this to go. It really moves into another gear around the 5:00 minute mark, and the dark undertones really come through. This is a different track from the one that opened. Very interesting indeed, and a favourite.

 

Industrial Saga – Without hesitation this gets into it. No time to stop and smell the roses. Oh wait, there is time to stop and smell the roses. The really cool/cheesy vocals come in and then back out again. This track knows where it wants to take you and it is taking you there with its killer kick. Nice beats, melodies and feel. This is another favourite.

 

Xenomania – Slow start to what is a cool track. The piano sounds like it came from Muse’s Absolution album. A very nice addition to the album, this makes you float. The soaring pitches and the downbeat beats are very controlled and when they are added, they make this a pleasant track to listen to. The track is consistent and very well formed. It threatens to get very dark at some stages and I was wanting it to, but then on second thoughts, this isn’t the time/place to do it. It

 

Armorial – Very urgent intro. Keanu Reeves if I’m not mistaken asks you a question, and then answers it. The track takes over with some interesting cuts and crosses, but the owner of this track is the urgency of the bass line. It drives this to unexpected places and then it stops…and comes in again with some mist. And this builds up. Very Nice.

 

Spanish Fly – Some very weird and wired guitars in this track. Bordering on the line of cheesy but remain on the “interesting” side of the line. A great freaky sample opens the track and from there on, it’s one of the most driving tracks. It doesn’t let up which is a great change from the usual calmer final track syndrome that most artists go for.

 

When all has been listened to and done. This is a surprise. It’s a surprise because I really enjoy this and it’s a surprise because I was expecting something darker. I figured that the cover was going to be a red-herring but I guess the cover of the album really sums up this album perfectly. The theme is green and the music certainly subscribes to that. This is great for the dance floors, but not so great if all you want to do is put on to a track and freak out by the weirdness of it. Overall, this is very welcome in my album collection.

 

Fav(s): 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9

 

8 out of 10

[Guest Rain]

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