Tómarúm – Beyond Obsidian Euphoria

By Kenstrosity

Over the past three years, I’ve come to appreciate Tómarúm’s surprising, mature debut Ash in Realms of Stone Icons at a deeper level than I had hoped to reach in the mere two weeks provided at the time. While I stand by my overall score—and by my critiques—my relationship with that record grew more meaningful and rewarding with time. Tómarúm’s spiritually charged, introspective point of view speaks volumes of suffering and strife, while the complexity of their musical compositions reflects in uncompromising clarity the fluid order that governs a turbulent chaos of the soul and of the heart. With this fresh in mind, I approach follow-up Beyond Obsidian Euphoria with great curiosity and equal anticipation.

Occupying a niche of progressive metal most commonly associated with acts like Ne Obliviscaris, but also connected to newer groups such as Amiensus, An Abstract Illusion, and Dawn of Ouroboros, Atlanta quintet Tómarúm boast an especially fluid and emotive sound. Progressive structures and ever-shifting phrases abound, yet never intrude, obstruct, or interrupt. Technical prowess reminiscent of Fallujah and Lunar Chamber creates additional dynamics most noticeably felt in the bass guitar, lead guitar, and drum performances. And, to my great delight, a new twist of machine-gun burst riffing pulled from Warforged‘s I: Voice playbook grants a palpable, terrifying presence. Beyond Obsidian Euphoria takes all of these elements, intrinsic to Tómarúm’s identity, and implements them with the same finesse and refinement of the last record, but with an altogether more hopeful tone. While still dealing with subjects of profound anguish and emotional turmoil, Beyond explores further the catharsis borne of dedicated, dogged persistence against those internal demons which would otherwise have your singular light extinguished from this mortal coil.

Nothing better exemplifies this shift in tone than the one-two punch of standout duo “Shallow Ecstasy” and “Shed This Erroneous Skin.” Epic sweeps of ominous shadow collide with shimmers of brilliance as menacing pummels advance their campaign against soaring leads and righteous solos. Those blackened rasps that voiced past work join the fray again as crooning cleans provide motivating counterpoint to fuel the flame of continuing life. A vivid chiaroscuro of composition personifies every moment across this 16-minute span, but the surrounding environs offer just as many dynamic moments of beauty and beastliness. The remarkably short and savage “Blood Mirage” deals massive damage to the cranium as it executes a brutal assault of riffs and tech-y oscillations, while “Halcyon Memory: Dreamscapes Across the Blue” evokes an Hail Spirit Noir-esque airiness that belies its double-bass propulsion and quasi-bluesy harmonized solos. The gamut of sounds, styles and textures malleate as soft putty in Tómarúm’s talented fingers, which allows their unfaltering focus on story and character to shine ever brighter on Beyond’s second immense suite of epics, “Silver, Ashen Tears” and “The Final Pursuit of Light.” Any impression of bloat falls to the wayside in the face of such nuanced and well-realized musical design, as melody, pace, substance, and technicality find a kaleidoscopic harmony striking in its multifaceted vibrancy.

At just under 70 minutes, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria daunts any audience with a monumental investment. The dividends, however, more than make up for the sacrifice. That is, if the listener is willing and ready to dig deep and find those moments most intimate and vulnerable. That delicate pluck of the string in a phrase flanked by vicious scrapes; the contrabass frequency that stimulates the spine as starry tremolos dot the sky; the desperate howl of pain and of shattered spirit that preludes an epiphany of truth and of healing; the miraculous congregation of hook and sophistication moving in tandem towards a shared apex of sound and story; all find a place in this wonderful piece, and each piece has its place. Unlike my experience with Ash in Realms, my experience with Beyond is one of complete and utter immersion. There is hardly a moment I would change, barely a segment I would cut—save for the fluffy interlude “Introspection III,” appearing too early on to leave a lasting mark by the close.

Occasionally, I find myself unable to dedicate the time necessary to engage with Tómarúm’s latest opus. I expect that others will experience the same unfortunate circumstance. While that certainly poses a question to the value statement of an album this long, specifically because its individual chapters can’t be separated without compromising the integrity of the whole, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria feels like a rare record that needs every second it consumes. The passion and personality Tómarúm exude in this work demands the price of time to bloom. If you give it the space to do so, what awaits can only be described as euphoric.

Rating: Excellent!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: tomarum.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/TomarumBM/
Releases Worldwide: April 4th, 2025

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Aversed – Erasure of Color Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Melodeath is an old, reliable friend for many a metalhead. Ever since the In Flames and Arch Enemies of the World took an anthemic and accessible version of the Gothenburg sound to the masses throughout the ’90s and ’00s, countless acts and other regional sounds have emerged from rollicking riff and less-than-deathly vocal inclusions. But combined with the right personal flair—a modern melding of blackened, jazzned, and altned influences much like contemporary wildcards Dawn of Ouroboros or Vintersea—melodic extreme metal forms have a growing presence in the hands of those who came of age with this musical history as their guide. Imitation breeds iteration, and, combined with adoration, the heart hopes to find a path alongside its infatuations, not just in shadow. Aversed walks the walk and Erasure of Color talks the talk.

As yet another product of a Berklee pedigree, in part, the Massachusetts-hailing Aversed displays a technical polish across their languished and rifftacular displays that saturates Erasure of Color far beyond mere hero worship. Rather than use these exemplary qualifications to noodle and sweep songs to oblivion, guitarist and primary songwriter Sungwoo Jeong runs with his talents through a gamut of heavy metal influences, from the Jeff Loomis-indebted (Nevermore, ex-Arch Enemy) squeals and scale runs (“Lucid Decapitation,” “Burn”) to a classic heavy metal strum and wail (“Departures”) that shade the languid messages sewn through Erasure. Of course, Jeong can shred and does so in flashes of neoclassical brilliance once cutthroat chords and rattling bass runs build tension enough to will an electric clearing (“Cross to Bear” and “Departure” having the wildest solos). Compared to the full-length debut, 2021’s Impermanent, the structures here are tighter, darker, and loaded with an expedited drama.

Emotion comes first, whether at Jeong’s nimble articulations or new vocalist Sarah Hartman’s vast array of screeching, tearing, and slithering harsh and clean vocal techniques. And through languishing cry, soulful croon, and whammy-kissed solo, Aversed builds a world through Erasure that’s as detailed as it is immediate. Churning riffs pave the way for Hartman to unleash laryngeal assaults of growing intensity, equally likely to find feral shrill (“To Cover Up the Sky,” “Lucid Decapitation”) as they are full-chested clean belting (“Inexorable,” “Departure”). It may seem that Hartman’s ferocious and elegant climbs drive the growth of each of Erasure’s numbers, but Jeong’s blend of Björriff to bright metalcore chase, and thrashy groove to swaying treble dive guitar action, carries just as much the energetic arc. Covered in echoing arpeggios (“Lucid Decapitation”), scorching bends (“Burn,” “Erasure of Color”), and unstoppable charges (“To Cover…”) Erasure wears a guitar identity that’s toothsome and exhilarating.

However, as strong as the pull of Aversed’s fervent rhythms and dreamlike melodies are on the best cuts from Erasure, its back half finds a more tepid momentum. It’s hard to say where a song like “Solitary” belongs on an album like this as its ballad-like nature neither swells with grandiosity of similar closer “Departures” nor slams, at its conclusion, with the level of thuggishness of the preceding “Burn.” And with the burst of speed that the title track injects after “Solitary” and before the acoustic interlude “Yearning,” the inherent tempo jostle that succeeds within many tracks feels bumpy at the macro level—really, Aversed has an exacting feel for acceleration and easing within the confines of each individual piece. Erasure doesn’t have a higher-level concept to spin, though, so any dip in quality or overall flow—even if no song is ever bad—is to its slight detriment.

Alas, it’s easy to love the best of what Aversed has to offer with Erasure of Color, its clanging rhythms and finessed guitar weeping sticking readily to memory with its most careful hooks. Finding contemporary touchstones adjacent to the blackened melodic tech of Australia’s Freedom of Fear, the hypnotic whammy abuse of the frenetic Fallujah, and accessible progressive aim of Vintersea, Aversed emboldens the forward-thinking melodeath scene to make an effort to be more riff-driven, more hook-wielding, and more vocally distinct. Erasure of Color does everything but paint Aversed as a one-trick pony. And in time, I’m certain1 that Aversed, in their impassioned and empathetic lashings, will find even more weaponized and wide-reaching aggression.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: M-Theory Audio | Bandcamp
Websites: aversed.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/aversedmetal
Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025

#2025 #35 #AmericanMetal #ArchEnemy #Aversed #DawnOfOuroboros #ErasureOfColor #Fallujah #InFlames #MTheoryAudio #Mar25 #MelodicDeathMetal #Nevermore #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveMetalcore #Vintersea

Dawn of Ouroboros – Bioluminescence Review

By Killjoy

Bioluminescence describes a chemical reaction occurring within living organisms to produce light. This is an apt metaphor for Oakland, California’s Dawn of Ouroboros and their iridescent combination of two disparate songwriting techniques. According to the promo material, guitarist Tony Thomas1 takes a methodical approach while vocalist Chelsea Murphy frequently lets improvisation take the reins. The results so far have elicited mixed reactions from our writers: Master of Muppets2 sagely noted great potential in their debut, whereas follow-up Velvet Incandescence was largely lost on Itchymenace,3 who found it too stylistically inconsistent. I, however, was less bothered than Itchy by the sharp twists and turns of Velvet Incandescence (it even squeaked into my 2023 top ten(ish) list), so I stood ready to rush to Dawn of Ouroboros’ aid with plenty of cortisone cream for the release of Bioluminescence.

If there’s anything we three reviewers can agree on, Dawn of Ouroboros’ sound is nigh impossible to encapsulate using other bands or even entire subgenres as easy reference points. They mix contemporary black and death metal in a similar manner as Vintersea, but instead of melodeath as a secondary influence, they favor the thoughtful post/prog of Dreadnought. As most bioluminescent life is found in the ocean, the musical tones fittingly evoke aquatic imagery. Many of the vocal and guitar melodies are lush and floaty (“Bioluminescence,” “Slipping Burgundy”). Other times, the rhythm section pulsates alongside spiky synth lines, roiled by fierce growls and screams from above. Though its form differs from album to album, this dichotomy between pacific and tempestuous should feel very familiar to fans of Dawn of Ouroboros.

Bioluminescence is more of an amplification than a reimagining of Dawn of Ouroboros’ polarity. Nowhere is this more evident than in Chelsea Murphy’s multifaceted vocals. She possesses an uncommon ability to switch on a dime between dreamy singing and raw screams–reminding me of Eva Korman (Rolo Tomassi)–and now she pours even more sugar and spice into the mix. Her singing has become quite impassioned, sounding smooth and jazzy in “Slipping Burgundy” and adopting a breathy, almost pleading tone in “Fragile Tranquility.” On the other hand, Murphy’s harsh vocals have become a real force of nature on Bioluminescence, like the upgrading of a tropical storm to a hurricane, and when she unleashes her howling screams (“Nebulae,” “Dueling Sunsets”), they resemble the blinding brightness of burning magnesium. Though her upper limits are undoubtedly awe-inspiring, they can be distracting and, perhaps, a bit too cataclysmic for what this type of music warrants.

Despite the more volatile mood swings than before, Dawn of Ouroboros has found greater overall consistency. Granted, they are still prone as ever to bounce between styles as if flipping through TV channels or radio stations, but on Bioluminescence they drift closer to the death metal side of their persona, finding a happier medium between it and the sprawling post-black of their earlier work. This more straightforward attitude works particularly well on “Static Repetition,” with relentless riffing and drumming that pummel like crashing waves. The tradeoff is that Tony Thomas’ lead guitar melodies that were so untiringly adventurous on Velvet Incandescence are diminished in length and emotional impact. They’re still present on nearly every song, but they seem to be kept on a shorter leash. This may be because the group is down to one guitarist–rhythm guitarist Ian Baker now taking over as bassist–but, whatever the reason, it feels like one of my favorite aspects of Dawn of Ouroboros has been partially eroded.

Nonetheless, I expect that Bioluminescence will be widely regarded as a step up, the greater intensity and emphasis on Murphy’s impressive vocals winning over new fans. While I miss some of the proggy, freewheeling tendencies of Velvet Incandescence, it’s easy to recognize and admire the determination of Dawn of Ouroboros to continually stretch in search of their limits as musicians. They are talented at experimenting while avoiding the “kitchen sink” phenomenon, but those who are, like Itchy, susceptible to stylistic seasickness may still wish to seek smoother sailing elsewhere. As for me, I look forward to what Dawn of Ouroboros cooks up next. They’ve proven that the only thing we can expect from them is the unexpected.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: dawnofouroboros.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/dawnofouroboros
Releases Worldwide: March 7th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AmericanMetal #Bioluminescence #BlackMetal #DawnOfOuroboros #DeathMetal #Dreadnought #Mar25 #PostMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #RoloTomassi #Vintersea