First published by Midlands Rocks www.themr.co.uk September 2011
On October 17th Toxic Federation will release their third album. Ah, yes. The Difficult Third Album…
The one a band is supposed to make to show the world that they are the finished item. The one that proudly unveils their sound, sans influences, and the clumsy fumbling homage to their heroes, that generally constitute the first two.
Toxic Federation have made life difficult for themselves by, firstly, releasing a second album that, a year after its release, still sells strongly and contains some of the band’s best songs. And, secondly, by attracting the interest of people in the business who, sufficiently impressed with the Midlands youngsters, have backed the band in a distribution deal that revolves around on-time delivery of a third album that was expected to realise all that potential and surpass the startling achievement that was ‘As One’.
No pressure then lads…
Album number three from Toxic Federation, whose average age is, astonishingly, just nineteen years old, is a markedly heavier, darker and much more grown-up affair. Self produced, once again, by the lads themselves, the sound is richer, more complex and an exponential improvement on ‘As One’. Windsor’s drums and Stroud’s bass are higher in the mix and contribute significantly to the new heaviness, most obviously on ‘My Resolution’ ‘Self Inflicted Fate’ and the sublime ‘Life of Mine’.
Comprising ten tracks, all penned collaboratively, it’s getting increasingly difficult to find new superlatives to throw at this astonishing release. Yes, it’s that good.
Title track ‘Distance’ is a juggernaut that shakes the foundations of your house and threatens impending earth quakes. Perhaps it is here we encounter the first of those traits that contribute to the sound that the band can now claim as their own: the shuddering triplet device first deployed to seismic effect on ‘Daybreak’. Here, it’s utilised again but taken to new lengths of heaviness and, with anxiety-inducing chromatic intervals, it builds the tension brilliantly until the euphoric release of Emms’ emotive and soaring chorus.
‘Dark Eyes’, a strong contender for best track on an album laden with gems, is an urgent, minor-key blast through some of the finest and most mature rock the band have ever committed to disc. Jake Graham throws in his finest solo to date and while it isn’t the most technically demanding solo that prodigious talent has crafted, it marks a new taste and maturity in his phrasing with a hook that stays snared in the brain long after the song is finished.
Lyrically, while Emms succumbs to occasional bouts of shoe-horning and grammatical clumsiness, this is, nevertheless, the young wordsmith’s finest work to date. Arresting and evocative imagery is scattered liberally throughout the album and vocally, he’s breathtaking.
A highly impressive release that shows real growth, real maturity and an increasing magic in the song writing department, this baby will blister paint in houses three streets away.
With three months of 2011 still to go, ‘Distance’ is easily album of the year. A triumph.