Review of TOMBSTALKER - Chaos Monolith | Awakening Records
TOMBSTALKER have been around since 2008, so calling Chaos Monolith a comeback record feels a bit strange. They never really disappeared completely. There were splits, demos, the Chaotic Devotion EP, the 2023 Age of Darkness EP and, of course, a fucking long wait since Black Crusades in 2015. Now the Kentucky bunch are finally back with album number two.
The basic TOMBSTALKER recipe hasn't changed much. D-beat, crust, old-school death metal, blackened riffing and plenty of Swedish influence are still all over the place. The difference is that the band seem much more comfortable with all of it now. They don't have to stick to one speed or one particular style for a whole song. A nasty d-beat run can suddenly give way to a big, ugly mid-tempo riff, then a melodic guitar part comes flying in and somehow it still sounds like the same band.
There is quite a bit of melody here, but don't expect some polished Gothenburg tribute. The riffs remain dirty, the rhythm section has plenty of punk in its blood, and the slower parts carry real weight. “Unto the Anvil of War” goes particularly far in that direction, pulling from old death-doom territory and giving the album some much-needed breathing room. The contrast makes the faster material hit harder.
The band also dug into their own past for this one. “Fully Armed and Filthy” dates back to 2010, while “Eternal Enslavement” was originally written in 2008. Both have been reworked for the current lineup, with additional leads and a more developed approach. I like that idea. There is no reason to pretend the old Tombstalker never existed, especially when some of those early songs were apparently good enough to survive nearly twenty years in the band's heads.
The newer material isn't afraid to wander either. “Penitent Engine” brings in industrial touches, synths and some obvious Killing Joke/Amebix/Godflesh territory, while the more melodic material can suddenly veer toward At The Gates, Iron Maiden or old Swedish black/death. It sounds like a band throwing different records into the same grinder and seeing what comes out.
That's probably the biggest strength of Chaos Monolith. TOMBSTALKER know their influences and aren't trying to hide them, but they also aren't desperately chasing some imaginary “classic” sound. There is enough variation to keep the record moving, while the d-beat/death metal foundation keeps everything tied together.
After eleven years between full-lengths, I wasn't expecting a radical reinvention anyway. Chaos Monolith doesn't need one. It sounds like TOMBSTALKER picking up where they left off, only older, heavier and with a few more tricks in the bag.
A pretty fucking good way to return.
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Thanks to Grand Sounds PR.
