Toxic Church
Systems Failure
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
This one-man project has some cool subdued techno-industrial with tons of R.W. Shambach samples. The sonics are very, very clean and make this CD an enjoyable listen, although I prefer the edgier heavy metal inspired industrial with loud, distorted guitars in it, myself. Most all these tunes would work well in a dance club, but not fare too well at a metal fest, since the keyboards are the main vehicle here. Fans of Deitiphobia might very well dig these 11 tunes. This guy can program his tunes well, and weaves some very pointed and confrontational lyrics into his songs. He tackles evolution, drugs (in "Pharmakeia"), and operating with the power of the Spirit (in "Dunamis"). The best samples are found in the frenetic "State of The Union," a tune about the violence in our country. The best song, though, is the rough 'n' ready bonus track, "The Keeper." Remember that line about distorted guitars? They show up here in all their glory, crunching an incessant riff for the song's duration. If Toxic Church went in this direction, they'd definitely have more of my attention.