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TOXAEMIA
Rejected Souls Of Kerberus

Emanzipation Productions (2024)
Rating: 7/10

There may be a different vocalist and lead guitarist but this is still the same Toxaemia some of us enjoyed back in the early 90s. It’s a shame of course that the Swedish death clan split in 1991 without issuing an album, but on a positive note we have had two full-lengths in the last four year since their return in 2017, including this latest effort.

Rejected Souls Of Kerberus doesn’t throw out the typical Swedish buzzsaw sound. Instead, the album is rammed full of heavy chugs which mix well with more frenzied charges, and while it remains an old school styled outing an extra layer of contemporary freshness is administered by the vocals of Dennis Johansson. Johansson also brings new power to old demo tracks ‘Tragedies Through Centuries’ and ‘Beyond The Realm’. And speaking of returns from the past, the drum stool is now occupied by founding member Emil Norrman.

To an extent then there’s a few added levels of excitement for this release, but, as the more modern production shows, this album is far from being just a heap of throwback metal. At their heaviest and sickest though, Toxaemia slows the pace with ‘Ex Odio’.

As my favourite cut on board, ‘Ex Odio’ oozes in gloomy fashion, barely glinting in the humidity of twilight. The vocals are rough and deep, and the guitar sound literally wallows in decay as the yawning melody sluggishly exposes itself to light. In contrast, ‘Blood Red’ is raw and fast, delving into the hideous mind of a serial killer. As equally savage is ‘M.A.O.D.’, but in contrast ‘Dawn Of The Enslaved’ showcases a surprising diversity with its Viking-styled sways. Toxaemia also throw in a solid rendition of Dismember’s ‘I Saw Them Die’ for good measure.

An all-round good egg of a record, Rejected Souls Of Kerberus probably won’t fire Toxaemia into the upper echelons of the genre, but it’s certainly a good enough album to remind us that the boys are still rattling and rotting on.

Neil Arnold

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