Band:	TOC
Album:	Loss Angeles
Style:	Melodic death metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	2003
A review by:	Malcolm

01. The Window
02. Mary Lou is Dead
03. Acid Highway
04. Gothamburg
05. Blue Lady
06. Wait
07. The Blue Lady Suite
08. Break-a-Neck
09. Bite The Bullet
10. Smoke On The Water [Deep Purple cover]
11. Night Crawler [Judas Priest cover] [bonus]

I think some of you might have hear or at least heard of this band, they was formally named Throne of Chaos and was signed with the almighty Finnish label Spinefarm (But the debut was released under the sub-label, Spikefarm).
You recognize them now? Yeah? But do not scream hooray yet, because you might be disappointed with this, go on and read the rest of the review and you'll see what I mean.

Throne of Chaos was formed in the middle of the nineties, by Taneli Kiljunen [Guitars], Snake Laitinen [Drums], Joiku Harmaja [Guitars] and Rasmus Nora [Bass] (Today the band is also Tuomas Nieminen [Vocals] & Carl Sjöblom [Keyboards]) and they recorded some demos early in their career, and was contracted to Spikefarm which also released their debut album, "Menace And Prayer", it became a success and the band was moved to the main label, Spinefarm, where they also released their second album, "Pervertigo", that was very different from the debut, because after they released the debut the band was called "Children of Bodom's kid brother", and the band didn't like it, so for the second album, they evolved and their music was impossible categorize, and described something like this "Classical melodies and harmonized vocals sparkled with drops of sheer aggression and moments of Death Metal".
And now they have left Spinefarm, change their name to TOC, signed with InsideOut and their third album to date is released, "Loss Angeles" is it named, and believe me, it's not as you are used to hear them.

I don't really know how to describe the music I hear coming out of my speakers, it's so? so? strange.
This is surely an album you'll find almost everything in, from usual Hardrock (like "The Window") to Thrashy Death (in "Break-a-Neck"), it's quite unbelievable how they can mix so much and not become boring.
I really think they guys have found something they are quite alone with and they shouldn't be worry to be compared with another bigger band.

Some tracks that's worth mention because of different reasons are, number 4 "Gothamburg" that I think it's a "tribute" to the Swedish town Gothenburg (where TOC recorded their last to album in).
And the 5th song, the very emotional and beautiful "Blue Lady", but also the speedy version of Deep Purples "Smoke on the Water" is a favourite, even if it's possible that it will steal some attention from the other songs on the album.
And the Bonus Track is nothing else than another cover, this time it's Judas Pries "Night Crawler", and TOC is doing it so damn good, it's easily one of the best of the album, if not the best.

But overall the album is really nice, it's no killer, because I have some problems to follow each and every turn they make, in other words, it's hard to get all strange mixes to get stuck in your head. But it's a good album that people that likes progressive and psychedelic music really should check this out; this might be what you're looking for.

Check Out: "Night Crawler", "Blue Lady", "Mary Lou is Dead", "Break-a-Neck" & "Smoke on the Water".