Toxic Holocaust may remain a solo project for the time being, said frontman Joel Grind in an exclusive interview with Metal Injection.
"I'm gonna leave it open ended," says Joel, "I had a blast doing (Primal Future: 2019) and I'll definitely be doing another one like that."
Toxic Holocaust formed as a solo project 20 years ago, but last year's record saw the frontman return to his roots and record alone.
"A big part was the fan reaction," he says, "In 2013 I did this album called the Yellowgoat Sessions under the name Joel Grind that just blew up. I kind of just did it as a fun thing, but the fan response was really overwhelming for that one. Ever since then people have been telling me I should do another Toxic record like that. It had always been in the back of my mind, but I figured, with the 20th anniversary coming up, it would be really cool to do something special and go back to being solo."
Thrash metal is one of the most technically demanding subgenres of music to play, but JOEL takes it in his stride. He played all the instruments on Primal Future: 2019, recording them at his home studio in Portland, Oregon. With a looming tour supporting Soulfly right around the corner, Joel took a moment to reflect on one of his career's biggest regrets.
"I always wanted to share the stage with Slayer," he says, "Looks like that isn't gonna happen now."
"But I've never toured with Max Cavalera," he says, "Obviously, Sepultura had such a huge impact on me. I had a friend in middle school who gave me a mixtape with Arise on it. That was life changing."
