by Eduardo RivadaviaNew York City's Toxik were a "band" in name only, since it was really guitar-masturbating wünderkind Josh Christian composing most all of their songs and the endless flurry of bumblebee notes scattered all over their breathless 1988 debut, World Circus. Sure enough, album opener "Heart Attack" propels thrash metal of such a frenzied nature at singer Mike Sanders that he truly seems to be experiencing a massive coronary while trying to enunciate all of those lyrics in his improbably high vocal range. Luckily, his life is spared so that he can carry on shrieking his way through another nine heart-palpitating tracks, although some listeners may find themselves wishing that weren't the case. For what it's worth, standout offerings like "Social Overload," "False Prophets," and the title track contain revealing traces of Toxik's roots in more melodic and deliberately paced … » Read more