Toxic Holocaust

History

Joel Grind founded Toxic Holocaust in 1999. He originally wrote and recorded all of the band's music himself, and after a couple of demo releases (Radiation Sickness, 1999; Critical Mass, 2002), he made his official album debut as Toxic Holocaust with Evil Never Dies (2003).

Two years later, after some touring with a hired backing band, Grind released the second Toxic Holocaust album, Hell on Earth (2005), which once again he wrote and recorded by himself. The album notably features cover art by Ed Repka, known for having created iconic covers for albums by Megadeth, Death and others. Extensive touring followed, along with a recording contract with Relapse Records.

In addition to releasing the third Toxic Holocaust album, An Overdose of Death... (2008), Relapse reissued Evil Never Dies and Hell on Earth. Toxic Holocaust also recorded and released a number of other recordings: Gravelord (2009, EP), Conjure and Command (2011), and Chemistry of Consciousness (2013).

In 2019 Joel Grind signed to Entertainment One, and released Primal Future: 2019 later that year. Tours were planned but halted due to the spread of COVID-19.

Musical style

Toxic Holocaust plays thrash metal thats heavily influenced by punk, and has been compared to bands such as Venom, Discharge, Motörhead, D.R.I., The Exploited and Slayer. They also take influences from first-wave black metal.

Joel Grind

Joel Grind is the frontman and main songwriter of Toxic Holocaust. He now lives in Oregon. Grind began his musical career at a young age, first playing drums. His musical influences included bands such as Metallica, Bathory, Venom, and Sodom. As a teen, he ran a home recording and mixing business for local bands. In 1999, he started Toxic Holocaust. Around this time, he picked up guitar.

Grind now works as a music producer, and has been involved in side projects other than Toxic Holocaust. He has released synth tracks, as well as metal albums for his solo projects War Ripper and the Yellowgoat Sessions. Grind is known for being social with his fans and can often be seen at the merchandise table before a Toxic Holocaust show.

Members

Current members

• Joel Grind – lead vocals (1999–present), bass (1999–2008, 2015–present), guitars (1999–2015), drums (1999–2008)
• Tyler Becker – drums (2018–present)
• Rob Gray – guitars, backing vocals (2019–present)

Past members

• Donny Paycheck – drums (2008)
• Al Positions – drums (2008–2009)
• Phil Zeller – bass, backing vocals (2008–2015)
• Nick Bellmore – drums (2009–2018)
• Charlie Bellmore – guitars, backing vocals (2015–2018)
• Eric Eisenhauer – guitars, backing vocals (2018–2019)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:750 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1999 till: TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1999 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1999

Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.93)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData = layer:back color:black at:10/01/2003 at:10/31/2005 at:09/02/2008 at:07/19/2011 at:10/29/2013 at:10/04/2019

BarData = bar:Grind text:"Joel Grind" bar:Charlie text:"Charlie Bellmore" bar:Eric text:"Eric Eisenhauer" bar:Gray text:"Rob Gray" bar:Zeller text:"Phil Zeller" bar:Paycheck text:"Donny Paycheck" bar:Positions text:"Al Positions" bar:Nick text:"Nick Bellmore" bar:Tyler text:"Tyler Becker"

PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:Grind from:start till:end color:vocals

bar:Grind from:start till:02/01/2015 color:guitar width:3 bar:Charlie from:02/01/2015 till:09/21/2018 color:guitar bar:Eric from:09/21/2018 till:04/01/2019 color:guitar bar:Gray from:04/01/2019 till:end color:guitar

bar:Grind from:start till:11/01/2008 color:bass width:7 bar:Zeller from:11/01/2008 till:02/01/2015 color:bass bar:Grind from:02/01/2015 till:end color:bass width:3

bar:Grind from:start till:01/01/2008 color:drums width:5 bar:Paycheck from:01/01/2008 till:11/01/2008 color:drums bar:Positions from:11/01/2008 till:06/01/2009 color:drums bar:Nick from:06/01/2009 till:09/21/2018 color:drums bar:Tyler from:09/21/2018 till:end color:drums

bar:Zeller from:11/01/2008 till:02/01/2015 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Charlie from:02/01/2015 till:09/21/2018 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Eric from:09/21/2018 till:04/01/2019 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Gray from:04/01/2019 till:end color:bvocals width:3

Discography

Studio albums

• Evil Never Dies (2003)
• Hell on Earth (2005)
• An Overdose of Death... (2008)
• Conjure and Command (2011)
• *Chemistry of Consciousness *(2013)
• Primal Future: 2019 (2019)

EPs

• Death Master (2003, Gloom Records)
• Power from Hell (2004)
• Reaper's Grave (2006, Gloom Records)
• Gravelord (2009)

Demos

• Radiation Sickness (1999)
• Critical Mass (2002)
• Promo 2004 (2004)
• Demo 2007 (2008)

Live and video albums

• Only Deaf Is Real (2007, live album)
• Brazilian Slaughter 2006 (2008, video album)

Compilations

• Toxic Thrash Metal (2004, CD)
• From the Ashes of Nuclear Destruction (2013, CD)

Splits

• Toxic Holocaust / Oprichniki (2001, CD)
• Implements of Mass Destruction / Nuclear Apocalypse:666 (2002, CD)
• Outbreak of Evil (2004, CD)
• Thrashbeast from Hell (2004, tape)
• Blasphemy, Mayhem, War (2005, CD)
• Don't Burn the Witch... (2006, 10-inch)
• Speed n' Spikes Volume 1 (2008, 7-inch)
• Toxic Holocaust / Inepsy (2010, 12-inch)
• Toxic Holocaust / Midnight (2011, 7-inch to benefit the Japanese tsunami victims)
• Toxic Waste (with Municipal Waste) (2012, 12-inch)

Contributions

• Thrashing Like a Maniac (2007, CD)
• In the Sign of Sodom – Sodomaniac Tribute (2008, 12-inch)
• Power Trip – Nightmare Logic (2017, CD) [mastering]

Videography

• "Wild Dogs"
• "Nuke the Cross"
• "Lord of the Wasteland"
• "Judgement Awaits"
• "666"
• "Agony of the Damned"
• "Acid Fuzz"
• "New World Beyond"

References

References

1. (August 13, 2019). "TOXIC HOLOCAUST Announces Primal Future: 2019 With New Song "Chemical Warlords"".
2. Scheurer, Walter. (August 29, 2008). "TOXIC HOLOCAUST – An Overdose Of Death...".
3. "CD-REVIEWS: Toxic Holocaust – An Overdose Of Death...".
4. (July 25, 2011). "CD Review: TOXIC HOLOCAUST Conjure and Command".
5. "Joel Grind".
6. (June 2, 2017). "Joel Grind : Master Of His Domain".
7. (28 February 2020). "Toxic Holocaust premiere new video “New World Beyond”".