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Aggression is the word of the day when listening to Progress from Toxic Bonkers. From note one the listener can easily tell that this is an album that exudes hostility (re-enforced by the succinct 35:11 running time). Much of the album has a punk/hardcore influence and while usually that would be a deterrent for me it actually works into the systemic anger-inducing atmosphere of the album. While death metal (or perhaps this could be called deathcore) has its share of great drummers I was very pleasantly surprised by the drummer (Marcin Klimaszewski), his talent and versatility lends a great amount of appeal to this album as a whole. Also the guitarists put in a fine performance ranging from harsh down-tuned riffing to slightly slower and more atmospheric passages, all of which are executed very well. In fact, the thing which most pleased me about Progress was that the band always kept their sound fresh and their songs unique rather than letting them all meld together. While there are some definite high points to this album there are a few elements which bothered me. For instance, the bassist, as often is the case in this scene, is under represented and from what I can hear of his performance he is an apt musician. Another thing is the vocalist, his performance reminds me of DiSalvo era Cryptopsy and I have to say that I was never really a fan; for those who were this is just a plus rather than a minus. Overall this album is certainly worth a listen if you desire proficient drumming and a tight, well produced sound in a violent death metal package.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Emptiness |
| 2. Evolution |
| 3. Denial |
| 4. Manifesto |
| 5. Hole in the Head |
| 6. Face the Fact |
| 7. Progress |
| 8. Anti-Violent |
| 9. Geophobia |
| 10. I Will Resist |
: 35:11
| Buy other Toxic Bonkers albums |
