ALBUM REVIEW: Planetary Clairvoyance – Tomb Mold
Canadian quartet TOMB MOLD have been pushing forward at breakneck pace since their inception in 2015. One of the spotlight names in the Bandcamp driven resurgence of old-school, underground death metal in recent years, the outfit have already made their presence felt in the scene with three demos, two full length albums, an EP and a compilation album already under their belts. Only 13 months from the release of their last record, Manor of Infinite Forms, TOMB MOLD are bludgeoning their way back to the forefront of death metal’s collective conscience with their third full length, Planetary Clairvoyance.
The four piece waste absolutely no time in throwing down the gauntlet with the furious opener Beg For Life. DISMEMBER-esque melodies flow through the old-school riffing, while vocalist and drummer Max Klebanoff shows off his chops, delivering earth-shattering gutturals amid his stick-and-peddle driven assault. A short interlude just after the mid-way point of Beg For Life gives off a NILE-influenced, Egyptian melody, building the atmosphere incredibly before TOMB MOLD double down on the intensity for the remainder of the track. A bold opening gambit, and one that pays dividends. The haunting melody that ends Beg For Life fades seamlessly into title track Planetary Clairvoyance (They Grow Inside Pt2). Keeping the intensity running high, TOMB MOLD slap down brutality in spades but show they’re not above chucking some tasty hooks in for good measure. Bursts of grinding aggression break up the groove in the mid-section, and the band show their comfort with both untamed speed and ferocity and slower, crushing heaviness. A brief solo ends Planetary Clairvoyance‘s title track on a high.
Only two tracks in, and TOMB MOLD are already showing the modern death metal scene that they should be a name on everyone’s lips. And, despite the high quality, high intensity of the opening duo, the quartet show no signs of lowering their standards as the Planetary Clairvoyance stomps to its midriff. Phosphorene Ultimate serves as a three-minute interlude, and though offers little in the way of death metal to sink your teeth in to, it doubles down on the unsettling atmosphere the band have crafted thus far. Infinite Resurrection sees TOMB MOLD move effortlessly from Floridan death metal to HM-2 heavy Swe-death and back again, proving to be an immediate highlight and future live favourite, while Accelerative Phenomenae brings a dose of Southern groove into it’s melody amid the aggression.
Ending Planetary Clairvoyance with a double dose of brutality, TOMB MOLD drop Cerulean Salvation like a hammer. The title track from their 2018 EP – which also showcased an early version of Planetary Clairvoyance (They Grow Inside Pt2) – kicks in with a nice Gothenburg riff, and grinds ever onward. At this point in the record, if it’s not abundantly clear why TOMB MOLD are the darlings of the new-wave of underground death metal you should book in with your GP immediately. Cerulean Salvation just serves as further evidence to the point, throwing melody, groove, and grinding brutality at the listener in an oddly palatable package. Heat Death concludes Planetary Clairvoyance in style, doubling down on intensity, speed and hook-filled old-school death metal stylings.
Though Planetary Clairvoyance isn’t perfect, at times Klebanoff‘s gutturals feel a touch monotonous, and though Phosphorene Ultimate does serve a purpose in its interludial atmosphere building, you have to wonder whether the record would be worse off for its expulsion, it is pretty god damn close. The Canadian quartet have been an underground secret for almost half a decade now, but with Planetary Clairvoyance the secret is out – death metal is every bit alive in the new generation as it was in the early 1990s, and TOMB MOLD are poised to lead the vanguard as the genre continues to enjoy its renaissance. Planetary Clairvoyance is easily the strongest album of the band’s discography so far, set to find itself ranking highly on end-of-year lists – and rightly so.
Rating: 9/10
Planetary Clairvoyance is out now via 20 Buck Spin.
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