Artist: God Dethroned
Title: “The Toxic Touch”
Label: Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 10/31/2006
Genre: Melodic Death/Thrash Metal
Rating: 4/5

After two long years of touring the Dutch masters of Melodic Death Metal have indeed returned but if you were expecting another blistering assault on your stereo that would be exactly in the same style that was presented on “The Lair Of The White Worm”, then you’ve got another thing coming. For “The Toxic Touch” they have altered their route just a bit and the main difference will be in the limited use of the “blast-beats” most common in the genre. On this change leader Henri Sattler stressed that it had been done so much in their music before that it tends to become boring and now instead it is used as an explosion to enhance the music. The change also displays the talents of the bands drummer Arien Van Weesenbeek even more as he is not only a powerful player but an incredible technical thrasher as well. “The Toxic Touch” is also much more melodic than their earlier adventures and this shows signs of musical maturity and mastery of their craft. There are those of you who might be a little annoyed at the band for such a dramatic turn from the typical blistering Death that they normally dole out but let’s see what you come up with on your seventh album. The changes have not sacrificed any of their brutality or aggression as you will find on “Wings Of Pestilence” and “Hating Life” as this is indeed a pummeling pair of numbers but you also get to enjoy some crunching slower numbers like “Typhoid Mary”. This track has a trudging groove that despite quick drumming underneath the main riff is one of the slowest of the albums contributions.
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