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Paranoiac: Morbid Psycho / Mental Laceration 12" (Toxic State Records) Toxic State Records brings us the debut vinyl from this Los Angeles metal band featuring familiar faces from hardcore and punk bands like Condition, Blazing Eye, Hoax, and many other. Paranoiac breaks the Toxic State mold (insofar as there is one) in several respects: the band is from L.A. rather than New York, they’re the most purely metal band Toxic State has ever put out, and there isn’t even a screen printed jacket on this one (though the art looks killer regardless of printing method). While the presentation is punk, the music sounds like it reaches almost exclusively back to Slayer’s Metal Blade era for inspiration, with an evil, blackened thrash vibe that sounds so classic it could have been recorded at any point in the past 40 years. Despite this being on a small independent punk label, the band is so tight and accomplished they can occasionally sound as precise as Slayer did in their Def American era, particularly on “Mental Laceration,” whose mid-paced groove sounds ripped straight from Seasons in the Abyss. I don’t want to paint Paranoiac as Slayer copycats, though. The drumming is very different (no double kick!), as are the vocals, which have something of Tom Araya’s sneer but a much raspier, almost crusty grit to them. While there’s a lot of “punks playing metal” about lately, Paranoiac separates themselves from the pack with truly noteworthy, high-level musicianship and a sound that’s just different enough from the typical Bolt Thrower and Amebix influences that typically come from this world. Morbid Psycho / Mental Laceration is one of those records you can throw on at a party full of punks and metalheads and both crowds will pound their fists in the air in approval.