Joel Grind founded Toxic Holocaust in 1999. He originally wrote and recorded all of the band's music himself, and after a couple of demo releases (Radiation Sickness, 1999; Critical Mass, 2002), he made his official full-length album debut as Toxic Holocaust with Evil Never Dies (2003). Two years later, after some touring with a hired backing band, Grind released the second Toxic Holocaust album, Hell on Earth (2005), which once again he wrote and recorded by himself. The album notably features cover art by Ed Repka, known for having created iconic covers for albums by Megadeth, Death and others. Extensive touring followed, along with a recording contract with Relapse Records. In addition to releasing the third Toxic Holocaust album, An Overdose of Death... (2008), Relapse reissued Evil Never Dies and Hell on Earth.
Toxic Holocaust also recorded and released a number of other recordings: Gravelord (2009, EP), Conjure and Command (2011), and Chemistry of Consciousness (2013).
Death from Above
Toxic Holocaust Lyrics
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Now it's time to strike (time to strike)
We'll fight 'em off 'til the end, or we're gonna die (gonna die)
Surrender now or pay the price, we're coming after you
Planes are bombing from the skies
And the tanks are pushing through
Hate - we're all gonna die
Destruction - a preplanned comission
Fate - death is in our hands tonight
Here's the time to take control, now we gotta strike (gotta strike)
Move ahead, conquer all, we're going out tonight (out tonight)
Send the troops on the ground and bombers in the sky
Guarantee a violent end, attack them by surprise
Waiting - this is the final hour
Hate - we're all gonna die
Destruction - a preplanned comission
Fate - there will be death from above
We'll push past the gates, 'cause we're getting through
Slaughter and maim 'til our mission is through
Catch them off guard or until we have won
Bombers above, the bloodshed has only begun
On through the night, we hear the call
The sirens are sounding as the victims they fall
A battle from Hell fought in the sky
Continue the fire until everyone dies
Toxic Holocaust's song Death From Above is a powerful and evocative description of war and violence. The lyrics describe the future as a time of imminent conflict and the need to take control and strike first. The use of planes bombing from the skies and tanks pushing through is a clear reference to modern warfare and the destruction that it brings.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrases "waiting, hate, destruction, fate," underscores the urgency and inevitability of the conflict. The singer acknowledges that there is no way to escape the coming violence; they must either fight until the end or surrender and pay the price. The line "death is in our hands tonight" is particularly haunting, emphasizing the personal responsibility that each person has for their own actions and the consequences that they bring.
The verses of the song describe the tactics that the singer and their allies employ in order to achieve victory. They plan to attack by surprise, using both ground troops and bombers to ensure a violent end. The imagery of "slaughtering and maiming" and "catching them off guard" is disturbing but effective in conveying the brutality of war.
Line by Line Meaning
The future's here, the time is now
It's time for us to start taking action and stop waiting for the future.
Now it's time to strike (time to strike)
We need to move quickly and strike while we have the chance.
We'll fight 'em off 'til the end, or we're gonna die (gonna die)
We will fight until we can't fight anymore, or we will die trying.
Surrender now or pay the price, we're coming after you
If you surrender, you might live. If you don't, we're coming for you and you will pay for your actions.
Planes are bombing from the skies
Planes are dropping bombs from above.
And the tanks are pushing through
Tanks are moving forward and advancing on the enemy.
Waiting - this is the final hour
We've been waiting for this moment and now it's finally here - the final hour.
Hate - we're all gonna die
We have a lot of anger and hatred inside us, and we know that we might not make it out alive.
Destruction - a preplanned comission
Our mission was designed to cause destruction and chaos.
Fate - death is in our hands tonight
Our fate is in our own hands tonight, and death is a very real possibility.
Here's the time to take control, now we gotta strike (gotta strike)
We have the chance to take control of the situation and we need to strike now while we can.
Move ahead, conquer all, we're going out tonight (out tonight)
We need to keep moving forward and conquer the enemy no matter what it takes. We're going out tonight to do just that.
Send the troops on the ground and bombers in the sky
We need to send every available resource we have to attack the enemy, including ground troops and bombers.
Guarantee a violent end, attack them by surprise
We need to attack them suddenly and violently to ensure their demise.
We'll push past the gates, 'cause we're getting through
We will push past any obstacles in our way because we are determined to get through them.
Slaughter and maim 'til our mission is through
We will do whatever it takes to complete our mission, including killing and injuring our enemies.
Catch them off guard or until we have won
We need to catch the enemy by surprise or keep fighting until we have won.
Bombers above, the bloodshed has only begun
The bombers are in the air and the intense fighting has just begun.
On through the night, we hear the call
We are fighting all night long, and we can hear the sounds of war all around us.
The sirens are sounding as the victims they fall
Sirens are blaring and people are dying as the battle rages on.
A battle from Hell fought in the sky
The battle is taking place in the sky and it's like a scene from hell itself.
Continue the fire until everyone dies
We need to continue to fight until everyone on the enemy side is dead.
Contributed by Caroline T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.