Fixture for Toxins- Threnodies of Labor

ARTIST: Fixture for Toxins
ALBUM: Threnodies of Labor
LABEL: Self-released
REVIEWER: Matthew J.
DATE: 2-22-08

Another EP from this one-man extreme noise project, Fixture for Toxins' latest offering is as harsh as harsh gets. All recorded with software or drum machines, this is gritty, dirty, low-fi stuff sure to appeal to fans of Whitehouse, Atrax Morgue, and Brighter Death Now. "Proletariat Prelude" starts things with a blast of shredded feedback and distorted speech, and things don't let up until the comparatively subtle "Progress Impeded," with its creepy whispers and slow distorted synthesizer tones, and closing track "Prayer for Collapse," which actually approaches melody in some places, albeit still drenched in static. In between, there's tons of opportunities for pain, ranging from the martial industrial assault of "Xenophobe" to the clanking springs and grinding gears of "An Abundance of Perils." Judging by the cover art and some of the song titles, this particular EP can be viewed as an anti-corporate attack, a sort of audio anarchy equivalent to heaving bricks through the windows of your local McDonald's franchise, but you don't have to be a CEO or factory manager for this to make you want to crawl out of your skin. Simply turn the volume up on your stereo, and you'll be capitulating to the workers' demands in no time.

Visit www.purevolume.com/fixturefortoxins to hear this project.