Today we discover Toxaemia.
Created in 1989 in Sweden under the name O.S.S. then Anguish, the band lived until 1991 before dying out. In 2017, Stevo Bolgakoff (guitar/vocals), Pontus Cervin (bass) and Emil Norrman (drums) relaunched the project, and it was in 2024 in the company of Dennis Johansson (vocals, Carry the Torch) and Anton Petrovic (guitar, Regular People) that they announced on Emanzipation Productions the release of their second album, Rejected Souls of Kerberus.
It is illustrated by William Persson Öberg, guitarist of Creeping Flesh, and mixed/mastered by Dan Swanö (Nightingale, Witherscape, ex-Bloodbath, ex-Edge of Sanity…).
The band attacks without delay with Rejected Souls of Kerberus, featuring that abrasive Swedish sound, coupled with unexpectedly eerie melodies and powerful vocal parts that spill out in waves. The approach becomes more jerky and brutal with M.A.O.D., but also heavier as the rhythm slows down, also welcoming a worked solo before a catchy final that leads into the wild Hunger, where sharp leads join explosive, Old School patterns. It’s impossible not to get caught up in the frenzy, which picks up again as soon as the introduction to Beyond the Realm is over, letting the musicians unleash their instruments once more to create a devastating rhythm. Ex Odio, which borrows its throbbing harmonics and thick approach from Death/Doom, takes us back to a slow and ponderous pace, but Blood Red will reconcile fans of fast riffs with the band, who have clearly not lost their touch and are able to draw on their virulent roots to build this track. Although rather short, Dawn of the Enslaved quickly proves to be majestic, taking advantage of the Swedish touch of the melodies to accentuate the phenomenon, then Temple of Venom returns to this dry groove that fits perfectly with the most disorderly crowd movements. We find ourselves shaking our heads before Follow the Leader takes over with a different but equally effective approach, where leads and rhythm march hand in hand to deliver the desired acceleration. There are a few slight hints of Black Metal on Tragedies Through Centuries, the chaotic composition that follows, but they remain at the service of the violence, just like every element of I Saw them Die, which closes the album with a near-permanent stomping, leaving the guitars to offer bloodier touches at times.
Although very fond of Swedish-style Death, I’d never heard of Toxaemia before. This is probably due to a timid comeback, but one that’s about to take off with Rejected Souls of Kerberus!
85/100