EP REVIEW: Beyond the Tomb – Fuming Mouth
East Coast bruisers FUMING MOUTH have been bubbling away in the underground for some time now, but it wasn’t until they dropped their incredible debut full-length The Grand Descent last year that the death metal scene as a whole really stood up to take notice. And the fine folks at Nuclear Blast Records were among them, snapping FUMING MOUTH up as one of their most exciting signings in recent years. To accompany the announcement of their new relationship, the quartet are set to drop a brand new EP, showing a taste of what’s to come. But is Beyond the Tomb a promise of glory awaiting, or has signing to one of the biggest labels in the heavy music world ruined the piss and vinegar that made FUMUNG MOUTH so good?
Right off the bat, Beyond the Tomb‘s title track brings a wonderful breeze of refreshing energy into FUMING MOUTH‘s arsenal. Their longest released song to date, here the quartet take a bit of a departure from their crushing modus operandi, bringing a nice dose of melody into play and letting the track have a bit more room to breathe. This isn’t at the cost of what brought the ban d acclaim with The Grand Descent, though – between bursts of soloing, a melancholic chorus and hints of more melodious writing, there still remains brutality enough to crush skulls the world over.
If Beyond the Tomb was the EP’s biggest sonic departure, Master of Extremity is maybe the safest play of the three new tracks. The sonic equivalent of being roundhouse kicked square in the jaw for four minutes straight, the EP’s single is a beast. Leaning harder than ever into the crusty, hardcore influences of the band, to say Master of Extremity hits hard is like saying getting taken out with a sledgehammer might be a bit sore. Rounding things off after that musical beat down, Road to Odessa is a grinding, doomy gut punch. Some nice melodies add a bit of flair, but for the most part this closing track just slaps, hard.
Make no mistake, since releasing The Grand Descent last year FUMING MOUTH have lost absolutely none of their intensity; even a cursory listen to Beyond the Tomb is a brutalising experience. The old-school death metal revival has been the focus of much praise in the last couple of years, especially here at Distorted Sound Magazine, but if this is a hint of what can be expected of FUMING MOUTH next year, the new wave of old-school death metal may just find its newest champion.
Rating: /10
Beyond the Tomb is set for release November 20th via Nuclear Blast Records.
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