Tomb Mold – Planetary Clairvoyance (Review)

This is the third album from Canadian death metallers Tomb Mold.

2018’s Manor of Infinite Forms was a mutated delight, revelling in its exploration of what death metal was capable of when subjected to the right stressors. I wasn’t expected a new record quite so soon after their exemplary second one, but I’m certainly not complaining.

On this latest release we basically get to witness the next step in the band’s evolution. Planetary Clairvoyance takes all of the considerable strengths of the band’s previous album and injects them with some mystery serum. The resulting unchecked mutation finds Planetary Clairvoyance in a stronger position to spread its death metal glory far and wide.

An album of guitars, these songs combine, twist, and corrupt the riffs with ease. Tomb Mold are adept at not only pumping out a decent riff, but also at sprinkling their songs with some real corkers. It’s these atypical, non-standard riffs that obviously serve as highlights, but ultimately it’s also about how all of the riffs are structured together. Tomb Mold are a creative bunch, and they channel this well across the album.

My only real complaint is the third track, a 3-minute interlude; it doesn’t do much for me if I’m honest. It’s a minor complaint, of course, but its a shame the band saw the need to pad out the album with it. However, minor quibbles, aside, there’s not much else to find fault with here. Full of hideously infectious riffs, inventive structuring, and creative brutality, Planetary Clairvoyance is sure to make many a death metal fan very happy indeed.