Release date: 24th of April 2026
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Spirit. While never, or at least seldom, more important to me than the music itself, it is a very pivotal part of music. Probably even more so when the music is aligned with a specific “movement”, a’la the NWOTHM. It’s one thing to just parrot trademark tropes, re-write classic riffs and songs and stamp a new name on it, but it’s an entirely different matter to create as the influences created. There’s room for both, but as a listener, I’m more inclined to appreciate the latter path more. Some lads in Portugal named Toxikull seem to’ve gotten the memo on their 3rd album, “Turbulence”. Cut and carved from all the best steel and stone preceding them & molded into a high quality platter of heavy metal. This album arrives as a lot of the world’s windows are starting to open again after a long winter, and this shit is prime to have screaming out of them.
As a much younger hesher, things like speed, or extremity were quick to grab my attention. At 44 years old, memorability is where I prefer to hang my hat, and the easiest place to do that is with awesome choruses. Tracks “Midnight Fire”, “Turbulence”, & “Dragon Magic” drill you with a series of hooks that’ll stick to your ribs like barbecue sauce. Toxikull doesn’t lose that strength once they embrace upper tempos in “Strike Again” either. Supporting the vocals is a great musical accompaniment that knows to supplement and not overpower. Straightforward rhythms, and riffs/solos that aren’t gonna tie fingers aimlessly in knots, but they will have you playing air guitar. Lex Thunder and Michael Blade clearly have studied under the tutelage of masters Shermann, Denner, Hoffman, Tipton, and Downing.
“Dying Star” shows some very impressive songwriting chops. Bands that can take things down skilfully always impress me because I just find it much harder to do than laying down the heavy stuff. Lead singer Lex Thunder really shines in this one. In fact, his voice shines throughout the album, maybe even to a fault. If there was one gripe about this album, it’s that Thunder’s range is bigger than the strongest part of it. There’s times where he shoots for the stratosphere and it’s just not there for me like the lower, and upper mid-range portion of his voice is. Perhaps if the general quality of his vocals weren’t so high, it’d be tougher to notice when it dips a little, but that’s a helluva problem to have. Hopefully he’ll continue to stay where it’s strongest because I think his voice is unique and that’s difficult to be with so many bands out there.
Conclusion:
A reinforcing of all the things that I love about classic metal, with a fresh coat of paint on top of it. I can hear who I think Toxikull’s influences are, but they’re displayed in a way that’s natural sounding. Nothing forced or phony here, this band feels it and play it accordingly. I can only imagine how killer this band is live, and yes I know there’s a live album out there, but it’s not the same experience. I think this might be the first metal band I’ve ever heard from Portugal, and if Toxikull is emblematic of what they’ve got cooking over there, then mostra lá!
The Nwothm Score: 8/10
Links
Bandcamp: toxikull.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: www.facebook.com/toxikull/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/toxikullofficial/
Label: dying-victims.de
