{"id":43918,"date":"2025-11-10T23:28:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T23:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/43918\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T23:28:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T23:28:07","slug":"toxic-madness-wants-to-leave-you-bruised-and-hugging-each-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/43918\/","title":{"rendered":"Toxic Madness Wants to Leave You Bruised and Hugging Each Other"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toxic Madness began with an argument\u2014a Spanish \u201ct\u00f3xico\/t\u00f3xica\u201d thrown back and forth by frontman Diogenes \u201cDJ\u201d Negron-Forsythe\u2019s parents years ago. He added the word \u201cmadness,\u201d and it became a band name for something that, back in 2021, was barely more than an idea. They played their first show in January 2022 and now tour familiar Deep Ellum venues<\/a>, such as Three Links, RBC and the TX Tea Room, as well as Haltom City spots like the Haltom Theater.<\/p>\n

The four-piece, made up of Negron-Forsythe on vocals, Kya \u201cWednesday\u201d Vasquez on bass, Noah Dial on guitar and Scottie Rose on drums, puts on expertly-tuned, crazy performances of a hardcore bent, with lyrics peeking into personal demons and turning them into something new and resonant. Toxic Madness is many things, but first and foremost, they are a band committed to creating a space where people can be themselves. They accomplish this through meaningful messages that touch on taboo topics like pain, abuse and self-harm, putting on energetic performances<\/a> during which the audience can lose themselves in a mosh pit or enveloped in a riff on Dial\u2019s guitar.<\/p>\n

\"BandToxic Madness performing at a show.<\/p>\n

Just as Toxic Madness wants their audience to be themselves, they also want to create a sound that is both a battle cry and a lifeline. They prefer not to label their exact genre; however, they delve into hardcore punk with most of their music. At a show, one can expect screaming, moshing and booming sound. But if you listen closely, you can find Negron-Forsythe\u2019s quiet footsteps through the poetry of Bukowski, Poe and Lovecraft, who have given him meaning and crafted the band\u2019s identity. He also admires philosophers like Carl Jung and John Milton, the latter of whom inspired their 2024 song, \u201cPandemonium.\u201d It is rare to find someone as committed to authenticity as Negron-Forsythe. He carries a weight with him, both in terms of emotional maturity and artistic responsibility.<\/p>\n

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Toxic Madness on Their New Album Sleep<\/p>\n

On their newest record, Sleep<\/a>, available only on CD and vinyl, Negron-Forsythe draws from his own lived experience, touching on abuse, betrayal and how unhealed wounds and trauma can make it difficult to construct your sense of self. He doesn\u2019t want his audience to let their own wounds define them or compel them to disappear; rather, he seeks to create a sense of belonging through\u00a0Sleep, and he feels it was \u201cimperative\u201d to the album\u2019s artistic direction to confront these emotions within himself.<\/p>\n

Negron-Forsythe describes one of their first songs, \u201cI\u2019m Hardcore,\u201d released in 2022, as an \u201cembarrassment.\u201d Sitting down with him in October, he laughs with us about it, his head in his hands. \u201cAt the time, we were a punk band,\u201d he explains. \u201cThe hardcore scene gave us a lot of flak for that title. Punk didn\u2019t feel authentic to me. But now, we are many things. We are creating something for ourselves.\u201d He isn\u2019t afraid to make these mistakes, and that is what makes him influential. Negron-Forsythe\u2019s lyrics can emulate a softer side, a more vulnerable take on the typical hardcore genre one might be acquainted with. But to get the whole experience and get to know who they truly are, it is necessary to see the band in person\u2014the yelling, stage-diving craze and unadulterated talent. It is a symbiotic relationship that reflects the band\u2019s cohesion, but it wasn\u2019t always that way.<\/p>\n

Negron-Forsythe\u2019s favorite lyric is \u201cI am that I am\u201d from \u201cCancer.\u201d \u201cIt has Biblical roots,\u201d he says. For him, it came from a place of insecurity. \u201cI found that saying it over and over was like rocking myself back and forth\u2014reassuring myself.\u201d It became an anthem that carried him through lineup and genre changes, which once threatened to end the band altogether. Negron-Forsythe values growing with people and creating meaningful relationships. Constant lineup changes felt, as he puts it, \u201cunnatural.\u201d \u201cEveryone has an ego, even me,\u201d he says, \u201cBut I like to suppress it. I was raised to be humble. And for some, ego gets in the way of being an artist. They start to think, \u2018It\u2019s my way or the highway.\u2019 It irks me, and we dealt with a few members like that. When they left, it left me thinking, \u2018Did I just get used?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Not a Guitar Hero Kind of Band<\/p>\n

Since Dial joined in March 2024 and Rose and Vasquez in early 2025, the band has formed a united front, each member bringing a unique artistic inspiration to inform the band\u2019s sound and performance. For Rose, it is the philosophy of letting go. \u201cI don\u2019t like to force anything [at shows],\u201d he says, \u201cI\u2019ve learned how to be in the moment and let things unfold\u2013dive into the unknown.\u201d <\/p>\n

For Dial, it is old-school rock bands like Kiss<\/a> and Led Zeppelin, where he found solace from his ADHD. He watched their performances and listened to their \u201cdark riffs\u201d that showed him what was possible. He\u2019s inspired by guitarists who don\u2019t perform for entertainment value, but do it for an outpouring of love they have for the world they live in. The guitarists who use their skills to create something new constantly inspire him. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t want to say the bland \u2018but I got a lot from Guitar Hero 3,’\u201d he quips.<\/p>\n

Rose echoes this sentiment: \u201cGuitar Hero and Rock Band did a lot for this generation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vasquez began her music career on guitar. When Toxic Madness needed a bassist this past April, Negron-Forsythe convinced her to try it. Her desire to join a band stemmed from attending shows and feeling the energy that emanated from the stage. She thought, \u201cGod, I want to do that.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Emotion is everything to her. \u201cA lot of my writing comes from finding an outlet for negative feelings. I can\u2019t write about the positive\u2013it just sounds cheesy,\u201d Vasquez said.<\/p>\n

Vasquez played her first full set on bass earlier this summer and has now assumed that pivotal role in the band with ease. She collaborates with Negron-Forsythe on lyrics and holds space for others to feel and grow alongside her.<\/p>\n

A Quick Trip<\/p>\n

Before a show, the band\u2019s ritual involves a trip to QT. After a key cocktail of electrolytes, energy drinks, pizza and meditation, the chaos begins. It is more than chaos, however, because the band\u2019s intention is deeper. A good show, Vasquez tells us, ends with a little, for lack of a better term, violence. Negron-Forsythe agrees. \u201cI love to see bloody noses and people hugging each other,\u201d he says, adding the goal is catharsis. \u201cI want to see people throw down at our shows and learn how to be themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"ManToxic Madness is giving a lot of energy.<\/p>\n

Their music overtakes you; compels you. It is easy to lose yourself in it, and possibly, find yourself. The band aims to make a positive impact on teenagers and serve as a source of encouragement and escape. \u201cToxic Madness has a voice,\u201d Negron-Forsythe says. \u201cThe voice says hang in there\u2014let it out and be yourself. You don\u2019t have to cry or vomit or otherwise act like someone else\u2014you can be authentically you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Dial, that very characteristic is worth sacrificing. \u201cI\u2019ve canceled family plans and ended relationships for this [music],\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve sacrificed days from working and had a hard time paying bills. It takes a lot of gas.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Toxic Madness headbanging.<\/p>\n

But for him, he knows that what he is doing is making a difference, and he wants to show people, much in the way Zeppelin showed him, what is possible. \u201cAnd when I\u2019m at a breaking point, I call DJ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toxic Madness with Reinosa, Ball and Chain and Tesoro will be performing on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at TX Tea Room, 815 Main St Suite B. Tickets are free and you can RSVP at eventim.us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Toxic Madness began with an argument\u2014a Spanish \u201ct\u00f3xico\/t\u00f3xica\u201d thrown back and forth by frontman Diogenes \u201cDJ\u201d Negron-Forsythe\u2019s parents…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43919,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1467,102,104,103,3949,2596,12021,8385],"class_list":{"0":"post-43918","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-concert-previews","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-headlines","11":"tag-dallas-news","12":"tag-deep-ellum","13":"tag-local-music","14":"tag-metal","15":"tag-punk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}