TOMB MOLD is a crew of young guns from Toronto, they formed in 2015 and have since released two LPs, "Planetary Clairvoyance" being their third full-length album - they sure are keeping themselves busy. I remember their sophomore album "Manor of Infinite Forms" getting noted among Death Metal enthusiasts and in the Metal press / blogosphere, so I'm glad I could put my grabby fingers on this one. TOMB MOLD play no frills, old school Death Metal in the vein of INQUISITION or AUTOPSY. It ticks all the boxes: the music is raw with a suffocatingly ominous and murky atmosphere, vocals are deep and guttural, songs shift between face-melting brutal parts and slow, sinister parts that make the skin crawl, the sound is grimy and cavernous. Together with bands like BLOOD INCANTATION, SPECTRAL VOICE or OSSUARIUM they carry on the torch of Death Metal's filthiest incarnation.

Album kicks off with one of the longer songs, a shape-shifting beast titled "Beg For Life". The song has a mid-tempo opening with a monstrous, groovy riff but soon goes into high gear; the blistering speed and aggression makes room for some chunky grooves in turn. There is a tranquil break with and ominous acoustic guitar melody, followed by a buildup to a huge climax. The following song is the title track, it's a brutal onslaught of raw, crusty, old-school Death Metal, but the song has a slower, groovy middle-section with Sludge or Stoner-Doom kind of riffs which give you space to breath before the next onslaught. "Infinite Resurection" is another barn-burner with some nice chaotic sounding DEMILICH-esque riffs, there is slower section with really nice lead guitar playing and soloing.

There is a good balance between the brutal and the slow parts across the album: for example, the song "Accelerative Phenomeane" starts with groovy riffs that have a bit of more laid-back vibe (again, they sound like Stoner-Doom riffs to me), the second half gets intense. "Cerulean Salvation" is also half brutal, half Doom, but in reverse order. The main thing that a Death Metal album, even one where the riff craft it on such high level as it is here, can suffer from is monotony, and on first listen I was a bit worried that the album might be running out of steam towards the end, but the closing track "Heat Wave" is another killer song, mainly because of the great lead guitar work. The vocals only make appearance in the second half, which has a kind of softer vibe - the simple, repetitive riff almost feels like it's comforting the listener after all the horrors that have been inflicted on him. What I also appreciate the few ambient interludes on the album, they are tasteful and "high production value" you could say.

So far TOMB MOLD is on a winning streak. They've put out another album with outstanding riffs and song that are quite dynamic without being directionless; the production also makes repeated listens very enjoyable. If Death Metal is your thing you shouldn't miss this.