Cytotoxin - Nuklearth

Certain metal bands always try to push very specific messages across with their music, using the group an engine to promote something better than just a crushing audial experience. Cattle Decapitation grind and rage about man’s inhumanity to nature and animals and even are vegan to support their claim, and it works. Others like Otep stomp on social and sexual injustice while trying to being awareness about ignorant masses with a mix of rap and metal. And now it seems another ‘awareness’ metal group is making themselves more prominent these days- Germany’s Cytotoxin. Cranking out nuclear bombs of technical death metal since 2011, their work has been praised quite often for their technicality and also matching brutality. While each album has presented something a little different, the message has always been the same: remember Chernobyl. For those who have forgotten- remember that big nuclear meltdown in Russia which could have been avoided had people had the patience to wait on the test? Yea, that one. Cytotoxin is all over that idea hoping at least among metal heads they’ll be smart enough not to make the same mistake again.

Throughout ‘Nuklearth’, Cytotoxin inject messages all over in the lyrics and samples here and there about how dangerous nuclear power is, despite all the good it has done the world. Play on word tracks such as ‘Atomb’ and ‘ Uran Breath’ hit hard with the sad truth of all those who were affected by nuclear explosions throughout history, both with Chernobyl and also other areas like Hiroshima. For those who don’t want to dig into the history warnings, there is always skipping the lyrics and linear notes and just enjoying the instrumental side. The results are pretty impressive. Tracks like ‘Lupus Aurora’ feature excellent guitar wizardry that would make fans of Decapitated or Origin proud. The drumming is probably some of the most impressive Cytotoxin have done- sometimes it is that standard brutal tap and other times on tracks like ‘Dominus’ there is the echoing percussive slam, which doesn’t soften the music at all and rather enhances they overall theme of the album. The guitar work is crushing, but the group tends to switch between fast and slow moments, opening hard and then easing down slightly for a repetitive, yet groove laden chug.

‘Soul Harvester’ features the most variation of the other tracks. The vocals are at their most brutal with clever layering so they feel louder and echo more than they actually are, but at the same time keep up with the music so they aren’t buried or drowned out. Very ‘stop and go’ the group aims for a cross between Ingested and Archspire, but here the groove is so heavy and enjoyable that the more monotone sections can’t be ignored. After this though the band feels like they lose a little of their original steam as the next few tracks seems to just melt together, though the technical elements are still strong as ever. It just feels more like Hideous Divinity than Cytotoxin.

The band finally gives listeners time to reflect on the work with the closing ‘Mors Temporis’, which is just a lengthy piano outro. Of course, this serves as a nice come down from the technical death whirlwind that listeners have been given for the last ten tracks and gives them a moment to think of how impressive the work is. While the difference in album idea is very limited between release, “Nuklearth” has to be Cytotoxin’s loudest work to date. Like Cannibal Corpse or Nile, they can hammer the same theme over and over but try to add new spins here and there to make listeners want to come back over and over.

4.5 / 5 STARS 

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1. Atomb
2. Lupus Aurora
3. Uran Breath
4. Dominus
5. Drown In Havoc
6. Soul Harvester
7. Coast Of Lies
8. Quarantine Fortress
9. Dead Zone Anthem
10. Nuklearth
11. Mors Temporis


Label: https://www.facebook.com/uniqueleaderrecords
Band: https://www.facebook.com/cytotoxinmetal
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Oct 2, 2020
Next review: In Malice’s Wake - The Blindness Of Faith

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