Before we even get too deep into this “TOAD” is not a band name used as an homage to wart-inducing reptiles (or the little one in a tweed coat and trousers who hangs out with a frog…depending on your childhood memories). No, TOAD is an acronym for Take Over And Destroy, which is exactly what this band does from the first throat-punching notes.
TOAD hail from Phoenix, Arizona where it’s hot as hell and, outside those city limits, as barren too. The desserts from whence this band came are deceptively beautiful, full of mysticism and power. It’s a perfect place for dark arts to be performed if you think about it, with the ability to walk far enough to be completely isolated from humanity yet engulfed by nature’s power and brilliance. This also seems like the perfect backdrop for TOAD’s new full-length album, Endless Night.
TOAD have been able to harness all that power and primitive force that surrounds them into six tracks of blackened death-n-roll. At certain points they are channeling the same evil that bands like Satyricon and Vreid are espousing. Yet unlike their European counterparts this band has a slightly more welcoming view on experimentation, for example, going so far as to harness 70’s goth and occult rock influences on tracks like “Boundaries of Flesh”.
But don’t let that last sentence get you doubting the extremity of the music on this album. You don’t call yourself Take Over And Destroy if you’re not going to deliver the goods. There are moments on this album where the music sounds like a pack of hungry coyote straight out of those dark desert nights, surrounding their helpless prey and beginning the semi-ritualistic feasting. The ferocity of tracks like opener, “Taste of the Grave”, is palpable for sure.
Endless Night hits the streets on June 25th. Visit their Facebook page for more info.
