(We present Daniel Barkasi‘s review of a new album by Tómarúm, which will be released on April 4th via Prosthetic Records.)

When it comes to the more progressive side of music, no matter the amalgamation, the albums that take one on a journey are the ones that tend to stick in yours truly’s brain. Case in point: Atlanta’s Tómarúm burst onto the scene in 2022 with a mammoth slab of progressive black metal via Ash in Realms of Stone Icons that seemingly came out of nowhere. Sure, their 2020 EP Wounds Ever Expanding showed plenty of promise, but we didn’t predict a debut full-length so mature, potent, and expertly crafted.

Since then, guitarists/vocalists Kyle Walburn and Brandon Iacovella started a fascinating death/doom project in Lunar Chamber, and have been getting Tómarúm out there on the road with regularity. We managed to catch them once, and it was a memorable, hair-raising experience of intensity and technical precision.

Inevitably, the time for album number two has arrived, and with that brings the usual contemplation – can they build off of their massive debut and knock it out of the park again, or will growing pains become evident? A task especially difficult for a band who displayed such nuance and veteran-level songwriting prowess on Ash in Realms of Stone Icons. Additionally, the band officially became a five-piece within the last few years, and as a result, we have what is the band’s first written material in that formation outside of just Walburn and Iacovella, who previously were the sole craftsmen of Tómarúm. Continue reading »