Release Date April 19th, 2024/Digital Reissue 2026
Format Digital
Genre Thrash Metal
Origin France
Dead Tree Seeds formed in Mantes La Jolie, France, in 2009 after an earlier run under the Triakanthos name. The band entered the French thrash circuit with "Seeds Of Thrash" in 2013, followed by "Push The Button" in 2020 and the "Back To The Seeds" EP in 2022. That EP revisited older material before "Toxic Thoughts" arrived two years later. Lineup changes have shaped the band across this period, while its music has remained centered on rapid riffing, abrupt rhythmic changes and lyrics drawn from social conflict.
On "Toxic Thoughts", Franck Le Hard fronts the band, Aurélien Gonzalez and Francois Odonnet handle guitars, Sidi Assila plays bass and Alex Prudent handles drums. Le Hard brings a strained, acid edged shout to this incarnation, backed by clipped guitar patterns and compact arrangements. Years of concerts across the French and European circuits are apparent in the coordinated tempo changes and economical structures, with little time spent away from the main attack.
The digital return of "Toxic Thoughts" contains ten cuts across close to 45 minutes, concentrating on rapid alternate picking, palm muted patterns, double kick bursts, gang vocals and brief melodic solos. Mid paced stomps divide the faster material at useful intervals, while longer structures near the end widen the scale after a mostly compact sequence. Mixed and mastered by Niko "HK" Krauss at Vamacara Studio in Clisson, the production places the guitars high, holds the bass just beneath them and gives the drums a dry, firm strike.
The separation exposes every riff change immediately, though several rapid sections could use more friction and less studio control. Le Hard attacks subjects with his limited vocal variation that can flatten the emotional range, especially when several refrains depend on title chants and similar cadences. The central stretch loses tension when speed becomes the default answer, while the slower turns expose more substantial riff construction and allow the drums to shape the momentum.
At its peak, the album locks guitar and drum accents into compact bursts that make its conservative writing easier to accept. Elsewhere, expected transitions and uniform vocal emphasis hold it below the upper tier. "Toxic Thoughts" is a respectable thrash release with skilled playing, sturdy riffs and enough movement to sustain its runtime, though a more varied vocal attack and less predictable arrangement choices would have cut deeper.
|7.5
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