Review: Tomb Mold - Manor of Infinite Forms

Release Date: June 8th 2018
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Album Link:

     Becoming the most recognised Death Metal band from Toronto in the short existence of a year and a half might sound like a feat of stature, but unfortunately it isn't the greatest achievement. The only reason for this is that Toronto's presence in the Death Metal community isn't notable at all. But to Tomb Mold's credit, they have simply blown up. They've existed for just over 2 years, and being picked up by a well respected label and distributor, 20 Buck Spin, is the jackpot for an up and coming Metal band. But do Tomb Mold deliver on their second full length album, and their first on 20 Buck Spin? We will find out below ↡

     Tomb Mold are not a band I would listen to on a regular basis, their admittedly popular brand of very chaotic and dissonant Finnish style Death Metal does get tiresome to listen to in my opinion and I wouldn't often listen to an album like this more than a couple times and one or two songs might stick with me but it would largely go forgotten in my eyes. That being said, I cannot fault them for their creativity and punch: Manor of Infinite Forms does not relent, for a full 40 minutes at that.

     The formula for this album seems to be twofold: while the longer 6-7 minute tracks actually have some nice Death/Doom riffs and a more diverse range of tempos, the several shorter approximately 4-5 minute songs are a pummelling barrage of riffs and blastbeats. All of these 7 tracks are set to the fictional backdrop of FromSoftware's Souls videogame series, mostly pulling their inspiration from the grimmest of the bunch, Bloodborne.

     After bypassing last year's debut Primordial Malignity, I was drawn in to the hypetrain of Manor of Infinite Forms for two reasons, firstly the sickeningly beautiful album art, which is always an important aspect for me. I find a good cover gives the album a face and an atmosphere to visualise while listening to the music. Secondly, the fact that Tomb Mold were picked up by 20 Buck Spin was a good sign, maybe there was something else about this band I was missing! After all, the excitement around Tomb Mold in the online Metal community was and is unstoppable. After listening to Manor a few times today and yesterday, I listened to Primordial Malignity for the first time and found I enjoyed it far more than Manor. 

     The production on Manor is a bit safer and cleaner than on Primordial Malignity which isn't necessarily bad, but just notable. It allows the drums to breathe their chaos, and the guitars to churn out all the filth they desire. I can find no issue with the musical performance on this album, and the band is undoubtedly tight. 

     As I stated above, the longer tracks are more interesting to me with their diversity of sounds and keep the almost exhausting experience of the relentless shorter tracks a bit more spaced apart. "Gored Embrace (Confronting Biodegradation)" though shorter, is the strongest track here. The focus is less on the unbridled chaos of tracks like "Abysswalker" or "Manor of Infinite Forms" and more on several movements of more doctored and tidier riffing patterns, and there is a stronger sense of control which I feel delivers the heaviness and power the band seeks to provide through the other tracks. 

     While I didn't love this album, and actually found myself enjoying their debut after exploring more of their material, it is still good. That being said, Manor of Infinite Forms is a frustrating listen for me because all the members of Tomb Mold are so talented, and I think with more release and experience under their belt they could churn out some of the best Canadian Death Metal on offer, and stand on an equal pedestal to Gorguts, another Canadian great. The inner conflict I have about this album is a shame, because the album is very creative and unique. Though I simply cannot enjoy this album as much as I wanted to.

5/10