.Omega Man

Toxic Holocaust's thrash-punk provides the soundtrack for a post-apocalyptic world.

Listening to Toxic Holocaust’s Relapse Records debut, An Overdose
of Death …
, one can’t help but feel trapped inside a Mad Max
movie from hell, where, to cite lyrics, evil law desecrates a land
once whole
.

The mutant brainchild of Joel Grind (from Portland, Oregon), Toxic
Holocaust recounts hopeless narratives of a radioactive near-future. So
much so that, should Mel Gibson decide to star in a new
post-apocalyptic adventure film, he’d better put Grind’s number on
speed dial.

The 27-year-old thrash-punk storyteller knows how to evoke the sound
of a dying Earth overrun by biker gangs, hungry zombies, and demon
dogs from the tomb/torn right outta the bitch’s womb
.

Moreover, Grind’s Overdose of Death … seems perfectly timed
for two reasons: First, ’80s thrash is coming back and finally getting
the recognition it has long deserved (especially from snobby rock
critics). Second, the US is back in Cold War mode with Russia. Indeed,
the nuke-scarred premise of Grind’s music is looking more likely than
ever. Is Grind a prophet, or did this all happen by unhappy
accident?

“I’ve been doing this for a good number of years,” says Grind during
a recent interview. “Going all the way back to ’99, I released a demo
called Radiation Sickness, so I haven’t changed at all to suit
the times. It’s great that thrash is getting more recognition, because
thrash is what I’ve loved and played for ten years.”

Grind claims he writes songs about a “Mad Max kind of world” more
influenced by science-fiction fantasy or art than today’s headlines.
Toxic Holocaust isn’t trying to provide commentary.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of political stuff people could tie in, I
agree,” he admits. “But I’m really not singing about current events.
With my music, you can take what you want from it. I don’t expect
everyone to come away with the same interpretation anyhow.

“I stay far, far away from politics,” he adds. However, he does
reveal what he thinks evangelical folk will make of his song “Nuke the
Cross.” Did he write it out of conviction (i.e., Christianity should be
obliterated), or did he create it for the purpose of pure fun?

“Right away, people think it’s a satanic song,” he says, laughing.
“But it’s really about doing away with religion altogether and thinking
for yourself. The song’s title is something I’ve been saying for years
to people and signing on people’s records. I’d been kicking around that
phrase for years and finally made a song out of it.”

Overdose was produced by Jack Endino (Nirvana, High on Fire),
with Grind performing both guitar and bass duties. Zeke drummer Donny
Paycheck, meanwhile, manned the kit, giving the album a professional
punch.

“Jack was great to work with, because he let me have my own vision
for the record,” says Grind. “I would tell him an idea or a direction,
and he would help me achieve it. It wasn’t about getting the ‘Endino
sound.’ It was about me sounding like me.”

Metal bands have written about war before, of course. But Grind
really digs into the post-apocalyptic end of the spectrum.

“It’s war-themed, end-of-the-world-type music with plenty of battle
scenes, like with my song ‘Death From Above,'” says Grind, summing up
his lyrical concerns. “It’s not a real scenario, though obviously war
is very real. But I’m not passing judgment.

“You know, metal bands aren’t always making a statement,” he
continues. “I don’t think music should tell you what to think. For me,
music is storytelling. Why not sing about flowers? Because I enjoy
aggressive music, and I’m not going to sing about wimpy shit.”

With a new bassist and drummer (Phil Zeller and Al Chambers,
respectively), Toxic Holocaust continues to play its
radioactive-wasteland theme to the hilt. The previous CD’s cover art
was even created by Ed Repka, famous for his post-apocalyptic album
covers for Megadeth. Grind got Repka’s e-mail address from another
label, and the infamous metal artist provided an initial quote.

“It was out of my ballpark,” Grind confesses. “Ed offered a lower
price [for the cover of 2005’s Hell on Earth] than he usually
does, which was cool of him. I grew up gazing at his Megadeth covers,
so it was amazing that he helped me out like that.”

This time, Grind — currently on tour with 3 Inches of Blood
— enlisted fellow Portlander Halseycaust to fashion a stunning
image of glow-in-the-dark wolves, fangs bared, surrounded by human
skulls and toxic-waste barrels, as lightning rips through a blackened
sky.

On the subject of metal, Grind is talky: “I love having fun, but I’m
not into party thrash.” Or: “Give me three beers, and I can probably
get down on Judas Priest’s Turbo.”

Finally, though, it’s time for the question any music writer worth
his salt must ask the leading producer of post-nuclear thrash-punk: Is
Grind a secret survivalist stocking up on canned food, weapons, and
gold, readying for the impending apocalypse?

“No,” he says, chuckling. “Now why would I need to do that?”

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