Album Review: Tombs - 'Savage Gold'

Tombs have been residing within the music scene for a while, experimenting and looking for that "real" signature sound to claim. Their last album was well loved and signalled the height of their current success. However, new album, ‘Savage Gold,’ manages to surpass that even further and find the sound the band has always aimed to achieve.

‘Thanatos’ is a perfect way to start off as rapid drums and crackly growls greet the listener. There's no masking things, this album is heavily death metal influenced, no doubt and in part from the production of Erik Rutan.

The epic pounding and patterns of the drums is a prominent feature throughout the entire of ‘Savage Gold.’ The level of technical skill is quite impressive. The riffs are refined moving anywhere from a complete intensity to something more tranquil, while the vocals are haunting. ‘Seance’ an ideal moment.

‘Echoes’ falls in at just under eight minutes and gives us a glimpse at Mike Hill's clean vocals. However, the contrasting vocals feel like they could've (and probably, should've) been kept separate.

The full-length continues to enjoy a strong pace, with songs like ‘Legacy’ creating a real heightened sense of urgency. ‘Severed Lies’ proves to be an interesting transition, a dark, goth track that sluggishly moves along compared to the rest. While solid, standing in isolation, it feels highly misplaced on an album that is otherwise ferocious and dynamic. ‘Spiral,’ leaves an energy and enthusiasm.

Tombs claim themselves as an experimental band and have had some hits and misses in their past, but now it seems they are on the path to a great sound.

'Savage Gold' is an album that really does well to highlight the intrumentals and provide us with an impressive level of skill. It is fast, fierce and quite enjoyable. Even with a track or two that seems like it might not belong, there isn't much to fault here.

1. Thanatos
2. Portraits
3. Seance
4. Echoes
5. Deathtripper
6. Edge of Darkness
7. Ashes
8. Legacy
9. Severed Lives
10. Spiral