Toxik - World Circus (1987)

New Yorker's Toxik are a cult act. A few people were introduced to them via the 'Starts On Thrash' compilation put out by Roadrunner but that wasn't even a hint at how supreme these guys are musically. Toxik most certainly didn't sell many records, their crunching thrash was far removed from the more basic Bay Area ramblings because in Josh Christian we had a songwriter and guitarist of genial talents, able to weave and thread a solo unlike no-one else. Toxik were probably made all the more cool by the fact they didn't get anywhere, but that half-dodgy album cover hides a million layers of what can only be described as highly technical thrash fronted by the impressive Mike Snders, who was replaced by the even more ear splitting Charles Sabin by the time the band's second opus arrived. Difficult to know where to start with tis complex record except to say it's all performed at high speed, consisting of killer riffs, but the sheer wonder is how all this fits together like some giant yet graceful and thought out spider's web of cutting chords, intricate melodies and stop-start complexity. The Slayer-esque riff on 'Haunted Earth' needs several listens in order to recover from the severe jarring whilst 'Heart Attack' lives up to its biling. As usual this is thrash with an eye on the troubles of the world, such as pollution and warfare, but you'll soon find yourself lost in the maze of highly crafted segments and musical meanderings, and by the time you've left the circus you'll be wondering which way is home. Incredibly underrated, Toxik - possibly due to their rather poor sleeve art, got lost behind, but now's the time to revisit this complicated masterpiece and marvel once again. 8.5/10