Band: Fixture for Toxins

Album: Black, White and Read All Over

Album Year: 2006

Label: n/a

Genre(s): White Noise + A million levels of distortion + high freqs as high as they can possibly go

Band Website: http://purevolume.com/fixturefortoxins

Rating: 1/10

Track list:

1. The Mourning Journal
2. Salem's New
3. Vindication
4. An Evening In Review

Let me begin with the description given to me with the EP:

"without the aid of a drum machine, sequencer or midi applications of any sort, audio is created via electronic percussion hardware, synthesizer, sampler, and microphone. Each aforementioned element is dedicated to its own mixer channel. Everything is live. overdubs are prohibited"

After reading that, I pretty much knew what I was in for. This is one of the worst things I have ever heard in my life. I wouldn't even describe this as sound, let alone music. Black, White and Read All Over is the most painful thing you will ever hear.
I honestly do not have any idea how to put into words how annoying this album is. Every track seems to be completely empty save for the ever present drone of white noise running through 300 distortion pedals with the high frequencies turned up to the absolute max. I can find no order or methodology whatsoever in anything on this album. I think that is it because there really is just NOTHING going on. Other than the white noise there only thing offered is a very very occasional drone noise or vocals. That's it...no synths, and no beats that I can make out. With every one of the four tracks. I can't bear to turn the volume up to hear if there are any hidden subtleties because the high frequencies are so fucking loud and abrasive that my head will EXPLODE if I increase the volume at all. I am not exaggerating when I say this. I am fairly positive that my skull would literally shatter if I turn this up any more. After giving this brief EP a listen my head is absolutely killing me. Do yourself and your brain a favor and forget the name Fixture For Toxins. I promise your brain cells will thank you.
The only thing that isn't horrific about this album is the vocals. These vocals could work if put over power noize or something, but they add nothing to this music. They seem to just be random screams placed in an equally random empty void of white noise.

- [.d4n b4rr3tt.]
March 2007