From their record label’s website, “Three years on from their acclaimed debut album, Atlanta, GA Progressive Blackened Metal band TÓMARÚM return with “Beyond Obsidian Euphoria” on April 4 via Prosthetic Records. Following extensive North American touring since 2022, TÓMARÚM’s sophomore full-length in the next chapter in the group’s ever-evolving search for inner meaning, strength and peace. Where “Ash in Realms of Stone Icons” served as a prologue in the band’s continuing narrative thread, “Beyond Obsidian Euphoria” marks the beginning proper of TÓMARÚM’s story.”

The album has nine songs, and “In Search of the Triumph Beyond...(Obsidian Overture)” is first. A 10-minute opus, it is littered with darkness and technical prowess. But, the song also sings. Like a raven whose gritty croak prophesizes loss and ill omen, the song isn’t without some melody. It shifts faster than most people can comprehend, like the changing skies in a storm. At times passive, and at others, deadly. I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on Chris’s insane drumming skills as well. “Introspection III” is both gentler and more melodic, and it shows the band at their looser, bluesy side. “Shadow Ecstasy” makes me feel as it I wandered off the dimly light path into the darkness beyond. The vocals are a deadly poison and the music keeps you guessing. The guitar solo towards the end however leaves no doubt as to the band’s talent.

“Shed This Erroneous Skin” begins with a plate of melody that is both tight and crisp, and the dexterous bass notes are not lost in the mix. They let the melody ride for a spell, but keep it reigned in just enough so it doesn’t overcome the inherent aggressiveness of the album. “Halcyon Memory: Dreamscapes Across the Blue” has some mystery within the harsh, rugged landscape. The song takes you on a ride where you lose count on the amount of times you narrowly miss running into sharp mountain peaks. The clean vocals provide a little sooth to the fire of the harsh vocals, and the beautiful melodic passages are wide open.

“Silver, Ashen Tears” is a whirlwind of a ride in a speeding car whose tires barely touch the road at times. The level of intensity is off the charts, but again, they weave melody into the multi-layered song at every turn. It turns from darkness to the bright light and back again as easy as the flick of a switch, and in that regard, the transitions are as sharp as a razor, but they also make sense. “The Final Pursuit of Light” is a 14-minute beast, and make no mistake, this beast is formidable. The first few minutes are a masterclass in aggression and darkness, and then it segues into a softer passage where the storm clears for a bit. The aggression soon returns with a vengeance. The shifts are difficult to keep up with, but the band never loses sight of the end goal.

The band has a seemingly endless plethora of tools at their disposal on the album. As complex as the album is, and as utterly ambitious as their vision was, it also has a binding cohesion to it. On sheer musicianship alone, it is simply beyond the standard rating system.  It is a rare feat to craft something so technically precise yet emotionally gripping, so brutally intense yet undeniably elegant. This is not just an album for those who crave speed, aggression, and virtuosity—it is an album for those who seek an experience, one that pushes and pulls, devastates and soothes. It’s a masterclass in precision, power, and poise.