In the early 90s, there was this amazing independent record label called Blonde Vinyl Records. They were putting out all sorts of alternative music from punk to alternative folk to goth rock and even industrial. In 1992, they put out this amazing electronic music compilation called SLAVA Compilation: Voice of the People. While it was compiled of all electronic music, the styles ranged from harsh EBM to industrial dance to synth pop and techno. It also featured a mix of unsigned artists as well as a few artists with albums out through Blonde Vinyl or other labels.
One such independent artist was Toxic Church, who as far as I can tell was based in Milwaukee. Toxic Church was a solo project by one Delvin Cavalier. Their track “Pharmakeia” was a unique techno-industrial track complete with funky bass lines (not too far off from Nine Inch Nails or Under Midnight), repetitive synths (similar to early Ministry), and loads of samples from TV ads, film, and so forth. There are also some harsh, distorted vocals that are difficult to understand. The combination was unlike anything I’d heard at the time (or still to this day, come to think of it). “Pharmakeia” was essentially a rant against the use/abuse of drugs.
Rumor has it that the band was set to release a full-length record with Blonde Vinyl when the label folded (for financial reasons). Two years later, the album came out through MTF Records (More Than Flesh). Songs from the album appeared on a couple of industrial compilations, and then a new song appeared in 1998 on Terra Firma vs. the Atmosphere: Part 3 of the Cataclysm Singles through Blacklight Records. Nothing was ever released by the band again, and not much has been heard from Cavalier since that time.
The whole SLAVA Compilation is a real gem, worth finding if you enjoy electronic-based alternative music, and the Toxic Church CD is a nice underground treasure as well. Drop a comment if you have any more knowledge or leads on Toxic Church and/or Delvin Cavalier.
