I recently stumbled upon the uniquely talented singer/songwriter/musician Rikki C. Ricci, who goes by the artistic name ToxSyn. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, ToxSyn plays a formidable mix of heavy metal, industrial goth rock and 90’s grunge, influenced by Nine Inch Nails and Alice In Chains,  among others.  He began playing bass at the age of 14, and has been making music for over 30 years, playing in metal bands Quick Trixx, Back Alley Boyz, Gangster, Bent, Hand Over Fist, Social Strife, SKROU, WAZP and Paranoid, as well as a number of tribute bands.

ToxSyn is Ricci’s solo project, and he writes his own music and lyrics, plays all instruments and sings all vocals. The most notable aspect of his music is the awesome guitar work. He coaxes some killer sounds from his bass that give his songs incredible force and depth. This is readily evident in the head banger “Crumble To Clay.” The monumental bass line is a thing of wonder.

ToxSyn shreds his guitar to pieces in “Toxic Shock.” His furious, raw vocals and thrashing guitar convey the brutal aftermath of nuclear war. “Skin burning from atomic blast, biotoxic radiation. Toxic fallout happened so fast, nuclear eradication.”

The guitars in “Be My Evil” are so amazing that I actually prefer the instrumental version, where they’re on full display.  Again, the powerful bass propels the song forward, with layer upon layer of guitar riffs accompanied by pulse-pounding drums making this a sonically hard-hitting track.

Ricci told me he has more music projects planned, which I can’t wait to hear. He produces a series of documentary videos about his involvement with many cover bands, called “Rockin’ Adventures.” Here’s a recent one:

You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook, listen to his music on Soundcloud or Reverbnation, and purchase on itunes.