Formed in Toronto in the mid-2010s, Tomb Mold first made their name in cavernous death metal, that of damp caves and buried riffs. One might have thought the band doomed to keep declining that formula; The Enduring Spirit, their fourth album, says quite the opposite. After a pause, the quartet return transformed, resolved to burst the genre’s frontiers without disowning what founded them.
The critics, out in force and enthusiastic (an 87 average across twelve reviews), rightly see it as a pivotal record. What they hail is the audacity of a band who dare to graft onto their original mire jazz chords, melodic soars, almost contemplative breaths. The death metal loses none of its power; it gains in depth, in colour, in ambition.
Musically, the album progresses by layers. The blast beats and cavernous growls remain, but they now cohabit with atmospheric passages, luminous solos, a rhythmic work of unexpected suppleness. The organic, warm production lets each instrument breathe. The closing title track ends on a long, solar ascent that deliberately breaks with the expected darkness.
One might regret that this opening at times dilutes the brutal urgency of the early days: lovers of the subterranean Tomb Mold will find the record almost too luminous, too polished. The moult has a price, paid in frontality. But the balance struck remains of rare intelligence.
Verdict: 9/10. A record of maturity that redefines what a death-metal band can aspire to, without ever sacrificing its backbone. One of the great albums of the year in the genre.
