Cytotoxin is a German technical/brutal death metal band. Over the course of the 2010s, they slowly grew into something of a cult act with a small but devoted following and made a name for themselves in a crowded musical landscape, and have positioned themselves for a much larger eventual emergence.
Formed in Chemnitz, Saxony in 2010 by Sebastian "Grimo" Grihm (vocals), Fabrice "Fonzo" Topfer and "Lo" (full name unknown) (guitars), Vitalis "V.T." Kast (bass), and Tobias "Ollie" Olijynk (drums), the band wasted little time in putting out Plutonium Heaven, their first full-length, in early 2011, which slowly made the rounds in the underground, while Lo left at some point during the year. Unique Leader Records took notice, and a deal was announced in mid-2012, with Radiophobia, their second full-length, dropping that November. The next few years brought scattered tours, followed by a large lineup change when Jason Melidonie took the second guitar spot in 2014 and Stephan "Stocki" Stockburger replaced Ollie on drums in 2016. This lineup went on to record Gammageddon, their third full-length, which dropped in the summer of 2017. Sporadic touring followed, including their largest tour yet with their friends in Aborted in 2019, and the band then quietly went to work on their fourth album. Nuklearth was released in August of 2020, and while the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic put their touring plans on hold, the band intends to properly promote the album as soon as touring resumes.
Discography:
- Plutonium Heaven (2011)
- Radiophobia (2012)
- Gammageddon (2017)
- Nuklearth (2020)
The band contains examples of the following tropes:
- Deathcore: They have had elements of this in varying prominence starting with Radiophobia, with Nuklearth probably having the most prominent deathcore elements.
- Epic Rocking: "Chernopolis" (6:53).
- Gaia's Lament: A prominent lyrical bent on Nuklearth, particularly on "Atomb", "Dominus", and "Drown in Havoc".
- Indecipherable Lyrics: Thanks to his inconsistent enunciation, thick accent, and frequent use of pig squeals on their older material, Grimo's lyrics are incredibly difficult to understand.
- Metal Scream: Grimo has a distinctive Type 2 that is a croaky lower-mid-ranged bellow, as well as pig squeals (though he uses those far less in the later material).
- New Sound Album: Several:
- Gammageddon was markedly more technical and also brought down the prominence of the deathcore elements, in addition to introducing guitar solos and overtly melodic riffing.
- Nuklearth reintroduced many of the deathcore elements and also focused much more heavily on groove, with numerous mid-paced songs.
- Post-Apocalyptic Gas Mask: A part of their stage attire, though Grimo takes his off after their intro and the rest usually take them off whenever they become too uncomfortable.
- Special Guest: They have had guest vocal appearances from Sven de Caluwe, Julien Truchan, Elliot Desgagnes, and Ben Duerr, while Tommy Bonnevialle (aka Brutal Keys) had a guest keyboard appearance on Nuklearth.
- Technical Death Metal: Firmly on the brutal end of the spectrum, with Gammageddon probably being their most overtly technical release.
