Technical progressive Death Metal trailblazers Tomb Mold must have known they had something remarkably special on their hands when label 20 Buck Spin announced out of nowhere on social media that The Enduring Spirit would be released. 

Considering the announcement came on a Monday and the record went live the following Friday, it’s safe to say the hype has been both abundant and, as it were, well-founded. The Toronto-based trio could have been prophetic with their album title. The girth this seven-track, 43-minute technically proficient Death Metal release musters is enormous. 

And the cohesion between Max Klebanoff (drums, vocals), Derrick Vella (guitar, bass) and Payson Power (guitar) feels like the working chemistry of a cook line at a steakhouse on a packed Saturday night firing on all cylinders in lockstep. “Fate’s Tangled Thread” teases with traumatizing tones which turn tasty and tactful. Demonic echoes possess the guitar tones midway through before truly what-the-fuck finger tapping persists, which sounds more like computers giving birth.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

“The Perfect Memory (Phantasm Of Aura)” is harmoniously heavy. A perfect juxtaposition is created thanks to disgusting heaves. Once again the production is pestilence personified at the two-minute mark with guitars that shrill and blaspheme.  Appropriately enough, the percussion on The Enduring Spirit tumble down a craggy cliff and a nifty bass fill (“Angelic Fabrications”) sturdies up the ironclad identity of this record. 

Tomb Mold don’t shy away from their proggy side, incorporating an innovative introduction  to “Will Of Whispers” which unexpectedly returns later to come full circle.

And much like any other successful story, the best is saved for last. Eleven-and-a-half-minute epic “The Enduring Spirit Of Calamity” is the final send off. Time-signature tomfoolery and a lengthy instrumental provides a pristine palette cleanser for a palette that never actually needed it. 

With nary a week to anticipate what to expect, The Enduring Spirit makes a mockery of anyone who doubted Tomb Mold’s ability to deliver on a surprise announcement. Not only did they deliver; they feel worlds ahead of pretty much everyone else.

Buy the album here:

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/the-enduring-spirit

8 / 10
MATT COOK