The new Tombs album, Feral Darkness (Redefining Darkness), is another chapter in the sonic tome chronicling Mike Hill‘s travels to throb of the abyss. To say this sounds like a Tombs album is a broad statement that neglects the stylistic shifting due in some part to the band’s revolving lineup. The first thing you might notice upon first listen is that there are fewer Black Metal moments. Instead, the album is driven by the kind of aggression that characterizes Death Metal. The vocal approach is not all guttural. Forceful declarations, not unlike what you might have heard on a Celtic Frost album.
Photo credit: Mike Goncalves
This is not surprising when considering how each album has carried a different take on the bleak sounds they use. This album, at times, has more in common with Domination-era Morbid Angel than it does Mayhem or Darkthrone. The double bass-powered drums add to the ominous momentum being built.
“Granite Sky” drops into more deliberate riffing. The buzz around this album was that they were fully coming to a more Death Rock/Goth approach, which might be an exaggeration, with nothing that sings his corrosion to me, however, on “The Sun Sets,” but you can hear how they might go in that direction as the more Death Rock moan replaces the bellow that normally marks their sound. Not the first time this sort of thing has crept into what they do; it is just not bookended by a blackened crunch.
The different sonic elements they attack you with are well-balanced. The harrowing guitar riffs to this one keep things throbbing with an aching tension. The more Black Metal elements stirred to life for “Last Days,” which rings out with a great deal of chaos before locking into a galloping stomp. They venture to a desolate place by the end of the song. They can always prove that darkness is just as heavy as any metal riff. “The Wintering” hits with a sludge-ridden riff, as heavily effected vocals provide a sardonic narrative that keeps the oppressive feel flowing. It dips into a more depressive, doomy feel. “Black Shapes” is another return to Black Metal, though this time with a more Punk edge.
They do ride a more familiar spectral line toward a nightmarish blend of Black Metal and Goth on “Darklands.”
“Wasps” has a churning death flood of double bass with creepy vocals calling out into this raging storm of guitar. They are aggressive without always reverting to harsher tones. The churn of the main riff is more Death Metal. This album is one of their heaviest, and while it is different, it is consistent with what they do, a logical step from where they have gone in the past to releases. It might take a few listens to fully sink in with you, but it is hard to deny the unsettling beauty they are painting these songs with, which finds its voice in the differing vocal color that moves this labrum(?) in the right direction. If you are looking for a soundtrack for a good time, this is the wrong album for you; this is an album that celebrates the burial of mankind. Which is what we need, a bleak heaviness giving the collective consciousness the middle finger.
Buy the album here:
https://tombscult.bandcamp.com/album/feral-darkness
9 / 10
WIL CIFER
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