For over a decade, New Jersey based post-metal band TOMBS have been making waves their own way. And on their new EP, Ex Oblivion, released via Season of Mist Records on July 15, they continue to challenge conventions and capture ears.
Guitarist Todd Stern, bassist Drew Murphy, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Justin Spaeth, and vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Hill enlisted the help of Bobby Torres from Frightbox Studios… right in my hometown of Clifton, NJ! I had no idea this band even existed, let alone recorded next to one of the best haunted houses in the country. Small world.
Their five-song EP starts with the title track. Stark drums, a constant undertone, and guitar flickering start the song strongly. There’s a wonderful building inherent in the composition, and it’s just as sinister. Hill’s gutturals are stellar. This track is a post-black metal song, in the vein of Neurosis. The American black metal influence is present with their guitar tone and clean production. A very strong start indeed.
Following that, we have a pair of covers; Motörhead’s “Killed by Death” and GG Allin’s “Commit Suicide.” Murphy’s bass rings out in true Lemmy fashion while Spaeth’s dominates over Pete Gil’s original part. Featured on the guitar solo is Hammerfight and Enginehead guitarist Dan Higgins. It’s an honorable cover, the rowdiness of Motörhead with their own flair attached. Hill’s voice seems a little more Diamond Head than Lemmy, but I like the choice.
“Commit Suicide” sees TOMBS harmonizing vocals, creating a cavernous sound, and delivering a hefty solo with tone to boot. Motörhead and GG Allin have a lot of sonic similarities, and Hill’s vocals here are a little more on par with the original. This is the cleanest GG has ever been.
If you’re keeping track, that’s an experiential black metal track, a traditional metal cover, and a punk cover. TOMBS’ next genre shift: EDM and trap. “Sombre Ruins Nothing Remains (RKGD Audio Remix” includes a whirling tone, electronic drums, and indistinguishable vocals purposefully mixed in the weeds. The trap beat combined with garish, layered vocals before a sampled scream takes us to a darkwave section. I wrote in my notes, “sounds like a nightmare,” but boy was I getting ahead of myself.
The final track on this album is intense. “Murder Legendre” features Integrity mastermind Dwid Hellion playing “modified piano and noise,” for context. The piano in question plays atonally, with a melody of three notes being repeated; a bell tolling. Hill’s vocals at first are indistinguishable but become clearer as the narrator unravels and speaks:
“I’ve always known that something terrible was going to happen to me/ Or maybe it has already happened. Out of time.” This five-and-a-half minute song feels like a lifetime because of that heavy dissonant piano and the blood-curdling sternness of Hill’s voice. The only comparison I can draw for level of intensity is Lingua Ignota. Well done, TOMBS. You’re gonna scare a bunch of people and Dwid should be commended.
Ex Oblivion has five distinct gems on it. TOMBS might not have to return to the lab and experiment with their “correct” sound, but this Petri dish of genre-mixing is an unabashedly honest collection.
