Full disclosure: when I first heard Tombs' Winter Hours back in 2009, I couldn't really get into it. In fact, it left me kind of bored. There is a certain amount of maturity required to appreciate the NYC-based act's unique blend of experimental post-rock, black metal and death metal. And for whatever reason, the 21-year old version of myself was too thickheaded to give them a real chance (there are a number of things I'd fault that version of myself for, but that's another story). But fast-forward two years and to the band's mesmerizing Path of Totality, and my attitude had totally changed, even landing the band on my end-of-year list for 2011. Decibel apparently agreed with me, handing Tombs the distinction of "album of the year." With Savage Gold, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more eagerly anticipated release this year.
On "Thanatos", Tombs gets Savage Gold off to a positively ripping start. In many ways, the song retains the aesthetic that Tombs is known for, but has a much more solidly death metal sound: a dash of Incantation here, a dose of Gorguts there. Still, this is definitely a Tombs record, and the band definitely occupies a property all its own (though I feel like Ihsahn could very easily be a neighbor, with Cult of Luna and Alcest only a few more blocks away).
There is a sort of elegant thrashing to Tombs that gives their sound a dazzling quality on one hand and a much harsher one on the other. Perhaps Savage Gold is a perfect title to represent an album that mouths tones both of grandeur ("Seance") and vicious fury ("Ashes"). The band's compositional skill is certainly on vivid display here though the brilliant composition of "Ashes" and "Legacy", two songs which capture the high drama of Tombs at their best.
In a recent interview with Invisible Oranges, Mike Hill notes:
"Music is always a catharsis for me…It’s one of the things that helps me avoid the pitfalls of living in a modern society. The darkness in our music is a reflection of the impressions I get from the world and some bleak times that I’ve experienced at different parts of my life. It passes through me and I infuse it into our songs."
A listen to both ends of Savage Gold will quickly reveal this to be true amid all the punishing drums, horrid shrieks and crushing guitars.
Between these cathartic blasts lie songs like "Echoes" and "Deathripper." Now I know a lot of reviewers have given these tracks some high praise, and I understand the place they're meant to occupy on this record, but they could have been a little shorter. This doesn't sink the album of course, but it felt like a bit of a drag to hear the post-rock riff on "Deathripper" played over and over. Again, maybe this just needs to grow on me a little more, but there are times when you want to just yell "get to the point already!" Luckily on "Edge of Darkness" and much of this glorious album, Tombs does just that (I also really like the creepy sounds at the end of "Spirals").
8/10
Favorite Songs: "Thanatos", "Portraits", "Seance", "Edge of Darkness", "Ashes" and "Spirals"
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFZYWKgK2bk[/youtube]
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When he's not infuriating people with his album reviews, Drew Zalucky is busy writing for his political website, For the Sake of Argument
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