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Track Listing: Judgment Awaits You Agony Of The Damned Bitch Red Winter Nowhere To Run I Am Disease In The Depths (Of Your Mind) The Liars Are Burning Revelations Sound The Charge

Thrash stalwarts Toxic Holocaust are finally ready to release their long-awaited fourth studio album 'Conjure And Command', and it is set to hit the streets this coming Tuesday under the Relapse label. Throughout the ten-plus years since their inception, the Joel Grind-led outfit have made quite a name for themselves with their unique brand of aggressive blackened thrash metal, and along with their classic albums "Evil Never Dies" and "Hell On Earth", tunes like "Nuke The Cross", "Wild Dogs", and "War Is Hell" on the previous release undoubtedly resulted in them becoming one of my favorite bands. Interestingly, this time the full band has taken part in the studio recordings rather than just Joel Grind as in the past, and obviously, I was very eagerly looking forward to this particular release to find out what they have come up with.

"Judgement Awaits You" kicks off the album in quintessential Toxic Holocaust style, a 2-minute dose of unabated ferociousness. "Agony Of The Damned" has more of a gradual build-up and certainly offers a lot more variations in terms of the tempo and the overall music. I foresee this as a great live tune, offering plenty of scope for slow head-banging as well as intense mosh-pits. But the next song "Bitch" is when the album really hits top gear. It has a distinct punk edge that is plentiful in most of the band's past catalog, and as a result, this tune is destined to be an instant fan favorite. "Red Winter" on the other hand, is a mid-tempo tune that will take time to register itself onto the listener's mind, but as I've found out in my case, it grows on you rapidly with every consequent listen. "Nowhere To Run" is another track that lands in a somewhat similar category, but it picks up pace in its second half to ensure that it will turn out be a fan-pleasing tune.

"I Am Disease" is a slow, dark and heavy tune that focuses on Joel Grind's vocals more than anything else, unlike most other typical Toxic tunes. It reminds me of Slayer's 'South Of Heaven', both in terms of its music and vocals, and certainly is a very interesting variation. But the album makes a return to the fast-paced thrash with the following tune "In The Depths (Of Your Mind)" and an average Toxic fan would say, 'Yeah, that's more like it!' The variety from track to track keeps going with "The Liars Are Burning" being another one of the slower paced tunes that should appease those who like to headbang and sing along, rather than those in the moshpit. But these people won't have to wait for too long, as the next tune "Revelations" should make them want to smash anything that comes in their way, for the most part anyhow. "Sound The Charge" doesn't give anyone even the slightest chance to recover, as the aptly relentless tune brings the album to an excellent end.

Overall, I would call this album as the next logical step in the band's musical journey. They have expanded on the sound they've been known for, while keeping intact the musical elements that have enabled them to reap the kind of fanfare they boast of. In addition to signature tunes like "Bitch", "In The Depths.." and "Revelations", there are others that are more drawn out and gradual. But things never stagnate, and the tempo changes from track to track in this roller-coaster album. And I have a feeling that I'll like the album even more than I already do, once I see the band perform it live, which is something I don't have to wait too long for as the band prepares to slay North America with support from messieurs Holy Grail and Krum Bums in what promises to be the tour of the year.

A killer album that totally lives up to expectations, "Conjure And Command" looks set to destroy the masses all year long.

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