Wisconsin Death/Thrash Metal Band TOXIC RUIN Unveil Music Video for ‘Defiler’

New album ‘Nightmare Eclipse’ due August 27; pre-orders available now

Sheboygan, Wisconsin’s TOXIC RUIN have unleashed the music video for “Defiler,” the latest preview track from their forthcoming sophomore album (and M-Theory Audio debut) “Nightmare Eclipse.” The song displays the combination of energetic thrash metal, death metal brutality and clinical technicality that led Dead Rhetoric to praise the group as “a band not content to rest on recycling the past, but rather creating a bright future.”

The music video, created by Rafael Ortega at Ecliptic Visions can be viewed at

while the song itself is now available for streaming/download through all major digital music platforms.

“Nightmare Eclipse” – which features artwork by Mark Richards (Revocation, The Black Dahlia Murder, Municipal Waste) – will be released on August 27. Pre-orders are now available for CD, digital, and limited-edition (300) maroon-colored vinyl editions of the album at http://smarturl.com/toxicruin.

TOXIC RUIN is also set to unleash its metallic power live at two upcoming concerts in their home state, performing alongside Minneapolis death metallers Reaping Asmodeia on July 31 at SV2 Pub & Grill in Green Bay and headlining a release party for “Nightmare Eclipse” on August 28 at Whisky D’s in Two Rivers.

“Defiler is a song written about a serial killer. No one in particular, just a guy who likes to kidnap, torture and kill women,” explains bassist/singer Stephen Behrendt. “I had written this song as more of a psychological look at the thought process a killer may go through when committing murder. Throughout the song he asks himself questions about what himself and what his victim might be thinking about. I figured we didn’t have a song like this yet, and this would be an interesting way to go about it.”

The current lineup of TOXIC RUIN began writing and recording “Nightmare Eclipse” while relentlessly touring the United States in 2019 alongside bands such as Lich King and Stonecutters and playing multiple festivals including Full Terror Assault and Slam Dakota, plus winning 2nd Place in the 2019 edition of Wacken Metal Battle USA. The result is the band’s most mature and complex material to date, while also being their heaviest display of force so far. Guest appearances from guitarists Glen Drover (Eidolon/ex-Megadeth), Derek DeBruin (Micawber) and Nick Weyers (Aronious) provide additional ear candy for aficionados of guitar wizardry. The first taste of the metallic mayhem to come was revealed through the music video for “Ritual Rebirth,” which can be viewed at

The group followed that up by unveiling a music video for the title track of “Nightmare Eclipse” at

The aural pummeling continued with the release of the play-through video for “Divine Acclimation” at

TOXIC RUIN was formed in 2014 with a mission of blending classic thrash metal, old-school death metal and modern technicality and tones into a wicked headbanging brew. Operating out of their collective hometown of Sheboygan, the band released their debut album, “Subterranean Terror,” in 2016. This opening salvo showcased the group’s burgeoning barrage of furious riffs and lyrical content ranging from the sociopolitical commentary of tracks such as “Seat of Corruption” to the beloved craving of a good drink on songs such as “Alcoholocaust.”

The group followed up their debut with the 2018 EP “Mortal Insolence,” which saw the current lineup of TOXIC RUIN take shape with Behrendt stepping into the vocalist position and the debut of rhythm guitarist Blake Toltzmann alongside lead guitarist Jacob Baneck and drummer David Miller. “Nightmare Eclipse” is the next evolution in blending the heavier sounds of metal’s past with the modern musicianship of metal’s present. More information on the record will be revealed in the weeks to come by M-Theory Audio and at facebook.com/toxicruin.metal.

TOXIC RUIN is:

Stephen Behrendt (vocals/bass)

Jacob Baneck (lead guitar)

Blake Toltzmann (rhythm guitar)

David Miller (drums)

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/toxicruin.metal

https://toxicruin.bandcamp.com/

https://www.m-theoryaudio.com/