Photo by Joey Arredondo

We’re still a good two months away from Migration Fest here in Pittsburgh, but it’s certainly not too early to start getting amped up about some of the bands playing that weekend. There’s not a single band you can afford to miss, and another that’s viciously climbing their way up my most anticipated list is Toronto-based death crew Tomb Mold.

I was pretty excited to see them for starters, but that’s been amplified to hell with the release of their vile second record “Manor of Infinite Forms,” a seven-cut, nearly 41-minute bruiser that takes what they did on their Blood Harvest-issued debut “Primordial Malignity” and makes it even fucking uglier. One huge boost in the band’s power is the addition of two members joining the original duo of drummer/vocalist Max Klebanoff and guitarist Derrick Vela, that being guitarist Payson Power and bassist Steve Musgrave. It gives the group a mightier, heftier assault, one that’s dripped all over this record and practically makes it stick to the ground with all the blood and puss that have congealed in the unforgiving sunlight. This band has to be in the conversation when it comes to who the best newer creators in death metal are, and their destructive ways are apparent and impossible to dodge when taking on this monstrous album.

The title track starts off the record, with morbidity at every corner, and the growls smearing soot everywhere. The riffs are just killer, as Klebanoff’s drumming decimates the earth, and more cavernous growls and sinister punishment tops us off. “Blood Mirror” has tricky playing to start, leaving you dizzy, while gross growls and an infernal fury combine to make life miserable. The leads burn a path, and then we’re back to skullduggery, as the growls gurgle blood, the band hammers away, and the soloing tears a hole in your brain. “Abysswalker” has speedy riffs and deep, lurching growls, while the band finds a new gear in which to sicken you. The guitars rain down gloriously, while the band hits the mud pit, stinging and landing blows, robbing you of your conscious state.

“Final Struggle of Selves” trudges and blisters, with the band thrashing away, and the ugliness being served in different forms. The pace changes suddenly, with the death spell boiling and brewing toxins, while the engorged growls bludgeon and send shit toward the void. Things spiral into hell from there. “Gored Embrace (Confronting Biodegradation)” is a mauler, as it lays waste to whatever’s in front of it, and the growls become more evil and furious all at once. The playing aims to damage the psyche, while you’re deposited into a pit of total devastation, while growls spew forth that are caked inches deep in muck. “Chamber of Sacred Ootheca” is disgusting from its title, and it doesn’t get any more appetizing from there, as the band lets filth well up and the guitars splatter plasma. The guitar work is awesome here, leaving a trail of slime behind it, while the pace suffocates, and the growls bury you face first in larvae. Closer “Two Worlds Become One” starts acoustically, which isn’t expected, but then the scab is ripped away, and the growls start to chew muscle. The drums send chaos, and the band finds a slow-driving pace to spread their misery. The song suffocates later, with the band chugging, a doomy haze settling over, and the band setting everything it created on fire.

Tomb Mold already had a stellar reputation before heading into their 20 Buck Spin debut “Manor of Infinite Forms,” and this record only magnifies their strengths and hardens their vicious assault. If you consider yourself any type of connoisseur when it comes to death metal, a trip with Tomb Mold is an absolute must. This is a band that already is shedding ample amounts of blood, and really, they’re just getting started.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/tombmold/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/tombmold

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/