“Gossamer” off of Tombs last record, Winter Hours, is one of my most favorite metal tracks ever. It’s this lumbering behemoth that lurches along and just when you think you know where it’s going, it smacks you in the face with a 2 X 4. It’s so good that the quality of the rest of the album doesn’t matter (It helps that all of Winter Hours is great but that’s not the point…).
Based on that one song, Tombs follow-up Path of Totality has a LOT to live up to. Luckily, it delivers on all fronts. It’s diverse enough (“Angel of Destruction”, “Passageways”) to keep casual listeners invested and brutal enough (“Black Hole Of Summer”, “Cold Dark Eyes”) to keep long-term fans coming back for more.
“Black Hole Of Summer” opens up Path of Totality amidst a maelstrom of grinding guitars, bludgeoning bass, and diabolical drums (See what I did there?). Tombs is another fine example of why you don’t need an army to create a crushing sound. This 3-piece works so well at crafting such a huge sound and nothing exemplifies that better than “Vermillion” that sees the band playing at breakneck speed with such focus until letting up just slightly for the groove to settle in.
Anyone remember Viva Death? Kind of a goth-y Joy Division side project from members of Face To Face? No? Check ’em out. They were great. Anyway, Tombs’ “Passageways” and “Silent World” could definitely fit on one of their albums. Like I said, diversity and the heavy reign supreme on Path of Totality.
Path of Totality is out on Relapse on June 7th. Tombs play Great Scott on June 8th with lots of local favorites (Motherboar, Death Ray Vision, and Blacktail). It’d be a shame if you missed this.