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TOMB MOLD
Manor Of Infinite Forms

20 Buck Spin (2018)
Rating: 8.5/10

Back in the late 80s and early 90s death metal really made its mark on the world, whether it was the chainsaw Swedish scene, or the Floridian community of chaos, and everything else in-between. But in spite of such a successful movement there were always really cool, underrated albums that although not forgotten, may have been overlooked at the time and yet remain cult classics.

Strangely, the new record from Canadian act Tomb Mold reminds me of such a thing, because I’m just praying that the death metal community latches on to this opus as it could well become a classic. And hopefully it’s not going to be overlooked within a crowded scene whereby so many modern acts are paying homage to the old school flavours.

2018 has seem some smoking hot death metal releases – Skeletal Remains’ Devouring Mortality, Taphos’ Come Ethereal Sombreness, Morgengrau’s Blood Oracle and Abominations’ Summoning Death to name just a few – and for me Tomb Mold’s sophomore platter is up there with the best of them.

What I really like about Manor Of Infinite Forms is its ability to draw you in with its heavyweight melodies before crushing you with no mercy. Yes, it’s very old school by design, but there’s also a mid-to-late 90s feel too. Throughout there are a myriad of killer melodies to behold to the point that you’ll be scratching your head and asking yourself if you’ve heard them somewhere else? But no, Tomb Mold just have a knack at constructing massive segments of gloomy tension, heavy dynamic rapidity and utterly guttural and sepulchral airs and graces that fuse the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation, Demigod, Autopsy and Disma.

There’s technicality too, hence the fact that this opus is such a rewarding experience as dank, worming solos infect the gargantuan walls of bass, drum and rhythm guitar, and deep, harrowing passages provide an unnerving precision.

My only gripe is that the record only offers seven tracks, but each one is a sickening, bellowing slab to behold as flashes of Demilich squirm in grave fashion through the abysmal trenches of ‘Blood Mirror’ and ‘Abysswalker’. The former showcases a jarring structure we’d at times associate with acts such as Pestilence, while ‘Chamber Of Sacred Ootheca’ provides further deathly aggression and demonic festering rumbles, the riffs coming in cavernous waves as the percussion steamrolls with bullish belligerence while the gruff vocal grates spout vile croaks of morbid fantasy. Wow, this is some heavy stuff on offer.

I’m drawing comparisons at times with Carcass too. But Tomb Mold don’t really sound like anyone; their devastating brand of mid-tempo hooks of horror and faster bouts of pulverising terror nod in appreciation of other bands but never do we hear the obvious influences. Instead, Tomb Mold throw up hideous orgies of sound as ‘Final Struggle Of Selves’ rolls with devilry as the bass bubbles like some fetid swamp. Meanwhile, closer ‘Two Worlds Become One’ again supplies technicality within the accustomed paralysing framework of earthy death metal fustiness. Flecks of a mouldier Incantation spring to mind too, especially with the doomier nuances which litter this impressive tome that unravels in such a heavy fashion that one can only suffocate within its pessimistic presence.

Manor Of Infinite Forms is a spellbinding yet punishing death metal album; one of the year’s best without a doubt.

Neil Arnold

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