TOMB MOLD: Primordial Malignity

Release year: 2017
Label: Blood Harvest

In the years since their inception in 2015, Canadian Tomb Mold have evolved in leaps. From a studio project of two members to a full line-up, from primordial and ugly death metal to something that is still primeval and ugly but still reaching for the horizons, Tomb Mold have certainly not stayed put on any front.

On their debut album Primordial Malignity, the Canadians were still a duo and their metal of death was primordial, and there was certainly a cemetary stench about them – like the foul, stale and moldy breath of air coming from a long-sealed tomb.

Stylewise, Primordial Malignity is an interesting combination of old school death metal styles. The vocals are cavernous, low and guttural, not quite unlike Craig Pillard’s classic vocalizations on early Incantation albums. However, the songs have a certain progressive, twisted rhythmic and melodic quality to them that remind one of Finnish legends Demilich. And sort of like the latter, considering how heavy the overall sound of Primordial Malignity is, the guitars aren’t all that crushingly heavy.

The end result is at times delightfully twisted, but without going into the discordant territory many modern black metal and black/death hybrid bands exist in.

The album is a very mature effort for a debut album. Whilst not yet being overly original in its building blocks – it is fairly easy to pinpoint where most of the elements have been lifted from – the overall result is fresh. In a moldy sense: the early USDM meets Finnish death metal meets chaotic war metal of Tomb Mold is definitely and decidedly old school, but without sounding like any one band or brand of old school death metal.

Primordial Malignity is also a pleasantly concise album, clocking in at a very reasonable 32 minutes with its eight tracks. That means little time for fillers or excess repetition. It’s strictly business and no nonsense.

3.5/5

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