UMUR "Chemistry Of Consciousness" is the 5th full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Toxic Holocaust. The album was released through Relapse Records in October 2013. It´s been two years since the release of "Conjure and Command (2011)", but bandleader/guitarist/lead vocalist Joel Grind has busied himself, both with solo material and with his thrash/crossover project Tiger Junkies. And of course Toxic Holocaust have toured quite a bit too, so no rest for the wicked this time around. Joel Grind and his two accomplices, Phil Gnaast (bass) and Nikki Rage (drums) have however found time to write and record "Chemistry Of Consciousness".

If you are already familiar with the thrash/crossover style that Toxic Holocaust have more or less played since day one, you´ll find very few surprises on "Chemistry Of Consciousness" as it basically continues down the same path as it´s predecessors. Through the years Toxic Holocaust have shed more and more of their D-beats and crossover elements in favour of a more strickly thrash metal influenced sound, culminating in "Conjure and Command (2011)", which is a thrash metal album with a few nods toward crossover/punk and not the other way around. "Chemistry Of Consciousness" features a few more punk elements than it´s predecessor but otherwise this is aggressive and raw old school thrash metal. It´s like listening to early Slayer meets early eighties Motörhead or something like that (with a slight nod towards Voivod in the track "Mkultra"). It´s not very original sounding, but it´s both damn catchy and powerful. The music is very much straight ahead and you´ll probably find yourself screaming along to the infectious choruses of tracks like "Rat Eater" or "Acid Fuzz" without a care in the world other than banging your head like a maniac. Featuring 11 tracks and a full playing time of 28:13 minutes, this is very much a "to the point" release and I´m sure that´s how the band wanted it.

The sound production is very different sounding from the rather "meaty" sounding "Conjure and Command (2011)". The sound on "Chemistry Of Consciousness" is not nearly as heavy as on the predecessor, which gives it a more rattling "garage feel". Probably fully intentional. Make no mistake though, this is a professional and well sounding production, which isn´t surprising when you read in the liner notes that the album was mixed with Kurt Ballou (Converge), who is a real capacity in that area.

The musicianship is tight and there is a great organic feeling about the playing, that suits the music well. All in all "Chemistry Of Consciousness" is another great release by Toxic Holocaust and if you enjoy the style, you shouldn´t miss out on this one. Personally I liked the more meaty sounding and thrashy "Conjure and Command (2011)" sligthly more, but this one is great too and deserves a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating.