TOMBS - The Great Annihilation - LP (Black)

A Brooklyn, New York-based experimental metal outfit that blends bleak post-rock minimalism with the ferocious attack of sludge and classic black metal, Tombs emerged in 2007 and found critical and commercial success in 2011 with their sophomore effort, Path Of Totality. Founding member Mike Hill’s vision has always be to move on. The last thing I want to do is remain in one place too long. I want to continually evolve and challenge myself, and I take a disciplined approach to writing, setting aside time on a weekly basis to collect ideas. I say collect because I often times feel like the ideas are out there in the ether and I am just channeling them. In a way, I don’t really know where the band is headed creatively because I feel like I’m following a path that is slowly being revealed to me. Letting the songs come as and when inspiration hits him is integral to Hill’s process, and this accounts in part for The Grand Annihilation’s diversity. The blasting, scathing yet melodic black metal savagery of opener Black Sun Horizon and Way Of The Storm are very much built to destroy, while wielding a poignancy that is undeniable – both of which stand in strong contrast to the uncomfortable post-punk squall of Underneath that showcases Hill’s Nick Cave/Ian Curtis-esque singing voice, while the likes of the throbbing Saturnalian and unnerving tribal thunder of Walk With Me In Nightmares stand in categories all of their own.

In fact, every track on The Grand Annihilation stands separate from those around it, yet it is a cohesive collection, and at no point do the stylistic twists and turns undermine its coherence. If you’ve been following Tombs, you probably know to expect the unexpected, and I always strive to present a full range of emotion on everything with the band’s name on it. That said, this is a very dark and introspective record that digs deep into the common ideas of mortality, infinity and cosmic mysteries. I’ve always been fascinated with the dark side and things that remain hidden, and when I was younger I wrote more about personal feelings, about emotions and specific situations in my life. As I matured, I wanted to write about broader themes that more people can relate to and tap into a sort of collective consciousness. The lyrics on the new record are a celebration of freedom through embracing the dark side. Once you realize that you follow the dark path, the path of the individual, there is a certain feeling of liberation that accompanies it. The Grand Annihilation has a rich and yet unfussy production, by Eric Rutan, that ensures that every song comes to life as if caught in the moment of its creation, crackling with energy and emotion and standing them apart from the plethora of bands with overly compressed, polished – and ultimately muted – additions to their catalogs. But then it’s hard to imagine Tombs sounding anything but real, and Hill’s ultimate motivation will always underpin this. Music and rhythm have always been part of human rituals. Ancient people made music and art to connect to something that they felt existed on a higher level, and I always try to achieve this in that which I create.