“Glacial Tomb” conjures up dark, dankness partnered with slow moving vastness on a millennial scale. Now this is true of the Denver band on their second full length release. However, the ice mountain is not so lazy in its progress. The band’s sound is Blackened Sludge with a hefty dose of nasty Death metal. The riffs are massive and there is plenty of gargantuan doominess to crush your earholes but they are quite happy to unleash the blasts and blistering solos as well.
The bands Doom credentials are strong Ben Hutcherson -vocals and guitars and bassist David Small are also in Khemmis whilst drummer Michael Salazar also sits on the stool for post metallers Cult of the Lost Cause. As such the trio bring elements of their other job into this band. When things get heavy the gravity gets switched to double intensity whilst the beats are often allowed to cut loose and challenge the mind as well as bludgeon it.
The opening salvo of Stygian Abattoir, Voidwomb and Enshrined in Concrete are relentless in their ferocity. After 25 seconds of industrial doomy atmosphere a rabid riff and accompanying blasts are unleashed galloping towards and ear melting solo partway through. The vocals are top notch switching between early (read good) Chris Barnes rasps and higher pitched blackened fry screams. Voidwomb utilises these even more and drops in some massive discordant industrial almost nu- metal staggered riffs that when combined with some melodeath solos give this track some really interesting textures.
Enshrined in Concrete starts with a gallop then drops into a groovy almost deathcore pace in parts as well as some quite flamboyant technical riffs and proggy passages too. It all flows nicely segmented by a quieter passage in the middle which then erupts with a Gothenburg panache that took me right back to the early days of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity.
With an opening trio like that it should be a tough act to follow but Glacial Tomb are happy to take up the challenge. Abyssal Host is a maelstrom of drums and a hooky stabby riff that proves to be pretty damn catchy. Catchy is the right adjective for the whole album. I have noticed that Abyssal Host has segued into Sanctuary and then into Seraphic Mutilation before I stop my toe tapping. The latter has some changes in time signature that have roused me from my riff stupor and I find it’s stop start nature starts to jar but I recognize that fans of Cynic, Cryptopsy and the like will lap this up like proggy nectar.
The final three tracks are just as stimulating as those before. Worldsflesh and Wound of Existence are barbed slabs of blackened Death Metal ground and pound interspersed with nasty vocal attacks.
The title track brings the collection to an end with a teasing slower sludgy intro that soon gives way to a groove laden and almost danceable (albeit erratically) melodic death metal ditty.
I found this album by Glacial Tomb to be a lot more melodic than I had expected and all the better for it. The hooky moments help accentuate the blasts and brutality causing them to feel even more weighty.
(7.5/10 Matt Mason)
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