ALBUM REVIEW: Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons – Tómarúm
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the talented duo known as TÓMARÚM grabbed the spotlight with their 17-minute EP entitled Wounds Ever Expanding back in 2020. This release also caught the attention of Prosthetic Records who snapped up the progressive black metal outfit and added them to their star-studded roster. Their debut album Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons is hot off the press and could well be up there with the most emphatic releases this year.
Introspection I eases you in with some intricate acoustic tones before turning up the heat. Hefty fretless bass lines combine with powerful blast beats to give you a compacted burst of what is set to unfold on this journey. Condemned To A Life Of Grief continues the energetic pacing with snappy drum beats and dynamic atmospherics at the helm of this unravelling soundscape. The absence of vocal work for a prolonged period really allows you to survey the scene and digest the full impact of the orchestration as it traverses through many shapes and forms. The masterful sweeping is a true joy to experience.
In This Empty Space gears up for another extensive jaunt with ominous sounding melodies and a slick mixture of shrill screaming and demonic bellowing. Further rounds of impressive technicality are reeled off with pinpoint precision. As this track progresses it twists and turns between shrouds of darkness and vibrant, uplifting elements, leaving the listener no clue to its intended destination. Introspection II allows for a little breathing room by offering up a calming, subtle array of instrumentation including evocative piano sequences. You just know that something more sinister is lurking around the corner.
Where No Warmth Is Found charges into view as intense drum patterns coincide with swift riffing as you are pulled into a whirlwind of frenetic musicianship. The commanding vocal work sends shivers down your spine with its potent ferocity. The clean vocals also enhance and elevate the overall tone and vibe of the piece. It is a shame they are somewhat short-lived. As Black Forms From Grey immediately instills a melancholic, doomy atmosphere that takes little time to dive headfirst into the realms of the extreme. This is definitely the most chaotic and relentless offering on show with its only motive being to suffocate you with its dense layering and unwavering force.
Awake Into Eternal Slumber sustains the onslaught with savage drum work that pummels away at your eardrums joined by sharp riffs laced with pure evil. The caustic vocal performance only serves to add another element of violence to proceedings. Whilst a 15-minute runtime may seem like a stretch, you are far too immersed in the broad spectrum of emotions and moods which are unveiled throughout to even notice. It almost feels like an album all in itself with the sheer level of diversity at hand.
It is difficult to even begin to start defining the sound crafted by TÓMARÚM. The fact that it is a duo behind this masterpiece is even more astounding. Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons may push the attention spans of some listeners to their limits with its pretty extensive duration but those who are more inclined with the field of progressive orchestrations will marvel at its seemingly boundless creativity. The exhilarating blend of genres and tones contained within this release really sets them apart from any other collective on the scene right now and that reason alone is worth taking this effort for a spin at least once.
Rating: 9/10
Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons is out now via Prosthetic Records
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