A sonic attack emerges from the swirling darkness, attacking the ears with an intense resolve. Punishing and unrelenting, it takes hold and forces you to pay attention to it's every note. This was how I felt listening to Tombs punishing new record, Savage Gold . Now this isn't a bad thing at all, in fact it was a rather enjoyable and fulfilling adventure to be honest.

For the uninitiated, Tombs is an experimental metal hailing from the streets of Brooklyn, New York. With two records, two EPs, and a compilation record under their belts, the band worked with Erik Rutan, easily one of the best metal producers today, and produced their strongest work to date. Rutan's production on this record is quite stellar, it is both loud and crushing but also possesses a level of clarity that is truly something to behold. It's almost something of a hallmark of Rutan, his production work never fails to achieve this mark so excellent move on Tomb's part to work with him.

Musically, this is easily Tomb's best work to date. Playing a rich and dark mix of sludge, post-metal, thrash, and black metal, the record feels like taking a dark journey in a land of darkness and little light. The heavier songs on the record feel like a battle taking place in each song, the pace is relentless and it's crushing heaviness hits you like a club to the chest. In contrast to the heavier songs, songs like Deathtripper and Severed Lives provides an atmospheric post metal antidote to the sonic attack of the rest of the record. They are the calm before the storm, a moment to catch your breath before thrown back into the vicious storm. 

To say this record is one of the best metal records this year goes without saying, this is a truly impressive effort by Tombs. Their track record contains no blemishes or slip-ups, it's solid from beginning to end and this record can proudly stand along it's predecessors, above them even. I can't wait to see what this band does next, I eagerly await the next chapter in this band's discography. For now, I'll just play this record on repeat and take that punishing dark journey again and again.

10/10