The new elite... - 93%
（来自MA，作者robotiq）
Death metal is about progression. From ‘Seven Churches’ onward, this genre pushed the boundaries of extremity, heaviness, composition and musicianship (often simultaneously). Many people, myself included, might say that the golden age of death metal was somewhere between 1985 and 1993. Certainly the progression has hit a brick wall in recent years, with a couple of exceptions. The first death metal album to rekindle my interest in the genre was “Starspawn” by Blood Incantation. Here was a record that would not have been possible in 1993. This was the sound of a band reaching further into the primordial void than any of its forebears (Timeghoul, Immolation, Morbid Angel), expanding the template for others to follow. “Planetary Clairvoyance" is another such record. Progression here comes through assimilation. Tomb Mold have absorbed everything good about death metal from the last 30+ years. Superficially, I would describe it as a combination of “Into the Grave” and “Human”. It has the primeval power of the former and the progressive structures (and musicianship) of the latter. Other comparisons might include the crushing astral weight of “Slumber of Sullen Eyes” and the intricacies of “Focus”. For clarification, Tomb Mold sound nothing like Cynic, but they have plenty of riffs and ideas in common, and the soloing is Masvidal-esque in places. The album is relatively short (under 40 minutes), and the songs long (six minutes on average). The band have enough riffs and enough skill to arrange them into a cohesive whole. The opening track “Beg For Life” is a great example of how they have mined the depth and breadth of classic death metal and applied their understanding. The song builds with some Finnish-style Demigod/Abhorrence tremolo riffs before switching to a mid-paced riff at about 2:01, locking into a headbanging moment at 2:59. A few more adjustments before a ‘proggy’ section at 3:29 (sounds like a Cynic riff to my ears), before dropping an acoustic break right in the middle of the song. The growling vocals and pounding drums ride over the acoustic guitar before the distortion kicks back in. The final third involves some well-placed blasting, some more Demigod-ish riffs and a solo. Progression, flow, heaviness. This is what death metal should sound like. Incidentally, "Beg for Life" is my least favourite song on the album. That’s how deep this record is. Of the other songs, the title track is the fastest, with speed passages that keep the listener on edge. The best riff on the entire album comes after the dead-stop at about 3:35. This might be the best death metal riff ever, though I'm not sure I can qualify that statement right now. Second best riff of the album is at 4:24 of “Accelerative Phenomenae”, which is probably the darkest and most ‘Finnish’ sounding song and also the one I’ve returned to most often. “Infinite Resurrection” is the most immediate and crushing song, maybe the most complex in terms of structure and certainly the one I would recommend hearing first. “Cerulean Salvation” is the most old school song (well, they re-appropriate the opening riff from “Open Casket” anyway). “Heat Death” is an almost instrumental riff-fest and the best example of their musicianship, perhaps hinting at the direction Tomb Mold might go in future. I could identify countless examples of where each of these songs fucking kills. Every song is an endless parade of amazing riffs, one after the other, arranged and played to perfection. This album, perhaps more than any other, demonstrates the importance of mid-paced grooves in death metal. Any bunch of idiots can pick up some instruments and play ultra slow passages and throw in some fast blasting sections, but good death metal bands exploit mid-pace grooves. Tomb Mold embody these sections, shifting through the middle gears and using these passages as a basis for their solos. As a result, the solos are always well-placed and always sound 'earned'.
A quick word on the ambient track (“Phospherene Ultimate”). I love the band's confidence in placing this in the middle of the album. For three minutes, the listener is transported into an alien realm such as the one depicted on the album cover and inlay. The glitches and popping sounds add to the sci-fi atmosphere without feeling like gimmicks. I’m sure at least one member of the band appreciates ambient electronic music (Biosphere? Autechre...?), which is why they assimilate it into their sound so well. There are other similar moments on the album, intros and outros, and they’re more important to the overall experience than you might assume. I could nitpick about the production. This record is best appreciated when played loud, losing a disproportionate amount of impact at lower volumes. Don’t get me wrong, the overall sound is wonderful and organic and the drums sound great, with no triggers or effects. Still, I wonder whether a little more grit and nastiness in the guitar department might help. This might push it closer to the sound achieved on “Into the Grave” or (for a modern example) “Punishment in Flesh” by Innumerable Forms. Fuck it, this minor point that is barely worth mentioning, just turn the volume up and apologise to your neighbours later. In summary, this is a brilliant album and will be a landmark moment in death metal history. When the dust settles it might end up being my favourite death metal record of the last 25 years.
