7

No Toxic Smile albums are exactly alike - from the Genesis-Queen hybrid of their early days to the 40-minute of a classic rock jam of Farewell. 7 is an art rock/hard rock hybrid. And boy is the production loud! But not in a wall of sound type, but where you rather get to hear all the instruments, which share equal footing between them. Songs typically alternative harder and softer passages and consist of grab-you-by-the-balls stop-start, organ-backed riffs doubled by a classical instrument - a sax, violin or piano (each song has a different arrangement) and coupled with a very strong bass. Despite the average 7-minute length, structurally songs don't hold surprises, but do lock you into a monster groove, kind of an artsy AC/DC.