Album Review: Toxicon – Be the Fire & Wish for The Wind (Self Released)

Australian 5-piece Toxicon endeavour to shape the way modern metal will sound going forward with the release of their new album Be the Fire & Wish for The Wind. It will be released on September 2nd, 2022.

Showcasing their talents in spates, Toxicon deliver a blistering blast of diverse modern metal with this new album. Where progressive touches, thrashy bursts, groove intensity and more, combines to create a fulfilling listen.

From the moment Toxicon come racing out of the blocks with the heavy anthem that is (Dis)connect, the energy is on another level. Fast, frenzied and groovy as hell. Toxicon then follow that with Parallelysis. Featuring a mix of tempos but not lacking in intensity, the chorus is absolute fire and there’s a screaming guitar solo thrown in too. As close to a sing-along as you’re likely to get from music this heavy.

Keeping it short and sharp, Fear Itself compliments the ferocity experienced so far with scathing riffs and impressive vocal flair. Before Deletist explodes with thrash-infused savagery. The heft of the drums, the roar of the vocals, the screech of the guitars… it’s an absolute beast of a head-banger.

Take a breath though as the next pair of tracks have Toxicon flexing their progressive muscles with lengthy trawls into heavier and more diverse areas. Up first is Husk. Where dreamy melody and mellow vocals introduce the listener to a different side of Toxicon. When it does kick up a notch, it gets more alternative and challenging. Seamlessly moving through progressive rock stages to metal and back again. Followed by the equally epic The Lost. Here, Toxicon freshen up their musical palette with a more discombobulated rhythm that is part thrash, part groove and all heavy head-banging gold.

There’s still so much more to come though and the latter half of the album kicks into high gear with the eye-watering technicality of Fear of a Dank Planet. Then there is the modern and eerie tone of Synthetic, the ferociousness of Shot, Framed and Hung, and the head-banging meatiness of Be the Fire. A set of tracks that deliver more and more Toxicon metal goodness to the pleasure of all who hear it.

Such a great album needs a great finish. Something grand and glorious sounding. Enter Wish for the Wind. A track that begins in melodramatic fashion, old-school rock soloing with light melody in the background and clean, soaring vocals. Eventually developing into a more robust rhythm, getting wilder and heavier but never losing the sense of epic this finale has.

A brilliant release that is both accessible and challenging.

Toxicon – Be the Fire & Wish for The Wind Full Track Listing:

1. (Dis)connect
2. Parallelysis
3. Fear Itself
4. Deletist
5. Husk
6. The Lost
7. Fear of a Dank Planet
8. Synthetic
9. Shot, Framed and Hung
10. Be the Fire
11. Wish for the Wind

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