Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Toxic Wine - No hay lugar para los débiles (2016)

My programming of the monthly playlist for The Pit takes me to all corners of the globe (not literally though, unfortunately) as I search for the more obscure and lesser-known acts to include in the 30 or so tracks that make the cut each month.  For the current month playlist I found myself circling a few South American acts and Argentina's Toxic Wine caught my ear in particular with to date their only full length release from 2016, No hay lugar para los débiles.  At just nineteen minutes it is easy to argue this is more of a mini-album with only one of the nine tracks clocking in at over three minutes in length.  However, although a scathing experience, this release does not feel rushed even though it is not without its challenges.

There is a simplicity to Toxic Wine's sound that is no doubt helped by the low quality production job, which whilst by no means terrible does promote a small space with nowhere to hide for any of the performances.  The bass of Alan Sotelo is sloppy and there is no hiding this on tracks such as Del ortiva where it bounces all over the place (he's only listed as a session artist but still).  The guitar has a punky roll to it which although I do not mind in essence, after a few tracks of it I do find myself seeking some variety.  In addition the drums seem to have this muted tap to them and on some of the less well mixed areas of the album they are virtually lost altogether.  By far the standout element here are the vocals of Rodrigo Leon.  Rabid and abrasive with that distinctive Latino urgency to them, they are clearly the driving force of Toxic Wine.

Although I do get the appeal of the raw and at times primitive aspects of thrash metal from far off continents such as South America, Toxic Wine somehow manage to fall into some weird space here with this release.  This is not Morbid Visions/Bestial Devastation raw and neither is it produced with the quality of Megadeth either.  Entertaining as it is (and the short runtime really helps that) there is no hiding the lack of invention or the absence of any real skill being visible overall.