New nuclear threat from Cytotoxin.

Five years after their last statement, Grimo (vocals, ex-Extinctionist), V.T. (bass), Fonzo (guitar), Jason (guitar, ex-The Last Hangmen) and Maximilian Panzer (drums, Dying Empire, Led Astray) unveil Biographyte, their fifth album.

The album gets off to a flying start with Hope Terminator, an opening composition as brutal as it is intricate, allowing the musicians to unleash themselves on their instruments before Grimo arrives to scream. The scathing riffs don’t forget to wedge in some imposing moshparts, before crushing us with Condemnesia‘s Old School but Technical roots, which give the rhythm its massive tones, while the leads provide the piercing touches. The surge is temporized by a short sample, then the composition adopts jerky patterns before the final that leads to Behind Armored Doors, where fury continues apace, still offering slightly more accessible and almost melodic passages. We continue with eponymous track Biographyte that starts with a catchy groove, but soon replaces its infernal harmonics and worked patterns to complete the violence, before offering us a moment’s respite on the soothing Deadzone Desert, a melancholy interlude that still features ominous chain noises. The tapping reappears in the closing moments to follow The Everslave at full speed, and even if at times the track seems to slow down, it’s only to come back even more enraged, as on the long Eventless Horizon, which abuses us from side to side with constant strikes and savage vociferations. A few moments include majestic keyboards and an ethereal solo, before Bulloverdozed continues in a most violent vein, multiplying moshparts to make us want to punch everything within fist’s reach. The mad tapping returns on Transition Of The Staring Dead, which is as much about mastery as it is about moments that are slightly less rich but just as effective, and then we walk on Revelation to a monologue that ends up dying of radiation to reach From Bitter Rivers, the long last composition during which the five members of the band unleash themselves and offer us six minutes of frantic jerky violence, sometimes even accompanied by a few more soaring touches that contrast with the infernal pace.

While Cytotoxin has always offered quality compositions, both in terms of violence and technicality, I have to admit that Biographyte is a cut above the rest! The band has become a veritable war machine whose sole aim is to destroy everything with massive riffs!

95/100

Version Française ?

A few questions to Sebastian « Grimo » Grihm, vocalist and founder of the German Brutal Death Metal band Cytotoxin.

Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! How would you introduce the band Cytotoxin without using the words “Death Metal”?
Sebastian « Grimo » Grihm (vocals): Hello. My name is Grimo, the singer of the band. And I’d say we play harder guitar music, with our instruments powered by energy from the Chernobyl reactor.

The band has been alive for 15 years now, do you remember how the name Cytotoxin was chosen, and how do you link it to the music you play?
Grimo: I remember our first rehearsal. We realized that what we were performing was going to be pretty crazy, technical stuff. Somehow, it fit well with the Chernobyl theme, because in 1986 everything was happening way too fast for people back then. The band name was supposed to have this technical character, but still be somewhat universal, because at the time we didn’t know if we’d stick with the theme forever.

Cytotoxin is about to release its fifth album called Biographyte, how do you feel about it? Do you already have any feedback?
Grimo: So far, it’s been a bit of a black box, as you’re always breathing down your neck with your own expectations, putting a lot of energy into your current live performance, and also operating somewhat blindly. So, we’re simply looking forward to the release and are excited to see the reactions. The reactions we’ve received so far indicate that everyone names different songs as their favorites, just like we do in the band. That’s a good sign.

How would you sum Biographyte’s identity up in only three words?
Grimo: Atom. Desert. Titan.

How did the creation process happen for Biographyte? Were there any differences compared to the previous releases?
Grimo: The songwriting process was once again entirely up to Jason and Fonzo, who worked relatively independently on the material. Our previous drummer also contributed. Jason is responsible for most of the music this time, which steered the whole thing in an interesting direction. We didn’t really want to take so much time with a new album, but certain things take time. I promise, though, that it won’t take another five years until the next album. This also increases the pressure on the songwriting team

The band’s sound is of course anchored in Brutal and Technical Death Metal, but how do you create your own touch? Are there any new influences with time? Are there any bands you could also quote as inspiration?
Grimo: We have many influences, and not just limited to music. We approach things with open ears and eyes. Speaking from my perspective as a frontman, my vocal influences are Aborted, Beneath the Massacre, Gorefest and Vader. In terms of stage acting and crowd connection I’m impressed by bands like Gutalax, Aborted and Kanonenfieber.

Do you have a favorite song on this album? Or maybe the hardest one to achieve for the album.
Grimo: The hardest song for me is Condamnesia. There’s just so much going on there, and I have to really catch my breath when we play it live My favorites are Bulloverdozed (a brutally powerful second half, which I really enjoyed recording) and From Bitter Rivers (I like the epic nature and thus a great ending to the album).

The band’s main inspiration has always been the Chernobyl catastrophe, and more globally everything related to nuclear threat, where does this fascination come from?
Grimo: I think that initial fascination connected with a sense of responsibility over all the years. Many people we come into contact with through music have a connection to the topic, especially the further east we perform in Europe. But that also requires careful handling and conveying of this topic, which is also one reason for the longer creative time for the albums.

Do you think you improved yourself as a musician/songwriter with this new record?
Grimo: I’d personally call myself an artist these days, but that took a while ;-). The question about the quality of the songwriting is actually not that easy to answer, because sometimes songs that you hadn’t even considered before catch on, or sometimes even inconspicuous concepts work very well. I can say that I’m very happy with our development and I’m also looking forward to our new drummer having more influence on the songwriting for new material. Otherwise, the radiation shows no mercy, and it’s important to us that the music perforates every cell in our bodies with high pressure.

The band of course played a lot of concerts in 15 years, so how do you get prepared for a concert? Do you have some kind of pre-show routine?
Grimo: Push-ups, pull-ups, goofing around, stretching everybody’s nerves. There’s a ritual we all do from time to time: We stand in a circle behind the stage while the intro plays and I do a kind of coaching speech. We all wear gas masks; no one understands anything; some nod uncertainly, others have their eyes closed. Somehow, I always found this moment good for the group atmosphere. Maybe we should do it more often; then maybe an album won’t necessarily take five years.

 

How do you guys get prepared for the upcoming European tour which will happen really soon with Gutalax, Necrotted, Acranius and Osiah? How did you decide of the setlist?
Grimo: Wow, setlist discussions, an incredibly interesting and fun process. If it were about which songs we could play, it would barely be enough to open the evening Joking aside, it’s really been a struggle and a struggle. So far, everything has remained objective and peaceful, although my inner reactor core is already dripping and melting down because we’re not playing any more songs from the first album. Otherwise, of course, my inner nuclear scientist decides which songs bulldozing the best.

 

What is coming next for the Cytotoxin camp? Do you already have some concerts scheduled?
Grimo: Yeah we have festivals and single shows. Also we plan to tour more, let’s see how we can manage and arrange it with our capacities.

 

Are there any musicians or artists you would like to collaborate with? Whether it is for one song, or maybe more.
Grimo: In my dreams I would do something with Einar Selvik, what a person, charisma and voice. Not sure if that would fit with us hehe. I could imagine to do something with the artists that created the scores for the Stalker video games. In real we always seek for artists or people that went to chernobyl for real to get in touch with them or even collaborate.

 

What do you know about the French Metal scene? Are there any bands you know and like?
Grimo: Besides Benighted I was really into the Underground Metal Scene also in France back in the days and listened to stuff like Kronos (they were more underground back then hehe), Recueil Morbide (I still love Hurt by Human Race) and Gurkkhas (A Life of Suffering had so much potential and their topic was refreshing). The French stuff was always something special to me, I do not know why or how.

 

What can you tell me about the Metal scene’s evolution around you? Are there any underground bands you would like to recommend?
Grimo: Not all bands and promoters survived the period in which performing on stage was either impossible or only possible under questionable conditions. People’s listening and live behavior has also changed somewhat, generally shifting toward consumerism. This makes me all the more pleased when people appreciate the live atmosphere and the interaction.

Bands from Germany I would recommend: Cypecore (The Alliance), Disillusion (Back to Times of Splendour), Sinners Bleed (From Womb to Tomb), Ahab (The Call of the Wretched Sea), Kanonenfieber (Die Urkatastrophe).

 

Even if you guys are slowly growing, the band is still quite “small” compared to some others, what do you do for a living?
Grimo: I agree. This also has to do with the fact that our music isn’t easy listening and seems to be aimed at a specific audience. But the atom is patient and will spread. Don’t worry. Two of us are music teachers, one is a mechanic, one is a sporttrainer and one a doctor. Now its up to you to choose who is who. I am not the doctor, for sure.

 

I remember seeing Cytotoxin a few times in Paris, do you have some memories of playing in France you’d like to share with us?
Grimo: Many memories. I remember the tour with Aborted, Benighted and Cryptopsy where we performed on Petit Bain. I never played on a ship. What an experience. And there was great park nearby and we did some calisthenics in beautiful sunlight (that also end up in our tour video, you can see on our youtube channel). I also remember when we had the first show in France on that tour we had excellent catering (vegan food and wine) and all the bands were together at one table like in a youth hostel. That was special in lives in the penthouse of my memories forever.

 

If I ask you to create a poster with Cytotoxin as headliner and three other bands for a special Biographyte release show, which bands would you like to play with? Even unrealistic answers are accepted.
Grimo: Unrealistic: ZZ Top, Judas Priest, Queen. Almost unrealistic: Meshuggah, Insomnium, Fear Factory. A bit more realistic: Aborted, Kanonenfieber, Shadow of Intent.

 

That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Grimo: Thanks for getting in touch and your interest. I would like to welcome everybody that reads this to our live shows. Let’s make memories out of moments. Never forget Chernobyl. Thank you in the name of it.