Artwork by: Lluís Rigalt (Ruines, 1865)

Style: Doom Metal, Progressive metal (Clean Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Messa, Candlemass, Green Carnation
Country: Spain
Release date: 3 July 2026

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Take one look at the gorgeous artwork adorning TodoMal’s latest album, Graveyards of Joy, and the wisdom of such an adage becomes radiantly clear. Lluis Rigalt’s Ruines glows with a burnished warmth, the titular ruins standing battered, worn, yet unbowed amidst the scraggy mountain landscape, the liminal glow of the day’s light edging the clouds in heavenly sketches of palest gold. Without context, one could assume the piece to be that of a work of fantasy, some war-torn bastion abandoned by a besieged kingdom and left to be reclaimed by the natural world. Rigalt, however, was a landscape painter, the visual feast of Ruines pulled directly from the history of his native Spain—a beautiful showcase of the real wonders nestled within our world, a world that, especially in our tumultuously modern and industrial times, can oft-feel bereft of magic, fancy, and, oftentimes, hope.

Hailing from rural eastern Spain, the Anglo-Spaniard duo TodoMal tap into the desolate, yet resilient, beauty of Rigalt’s masterful painting to channel a doom metal epic charting courses down rivers of loss fueled by personal tragedy and the hope of something better on the other side. The conclusion of a trilogy that began with 2021’s Ultracrepidarian and 2023’s A Greater Good, third LP Graveyards of Joy promises “slow-burning, widescreen doom”, cinematic in scale but personal in scope. Do these gloomy doomers have what it takes to steal my joy (in the best way)? Or will they have me wishing I was the one buried six feet deep?

Doom metal, by the nature of its moniker, is oft associated with melancholy, dread, and a harrowing weight slowly pressing upon the listener via thick riffs and a decadent atmosphere that leaves little space for light. And while opener “Mare Ignis” has hefty marching chugs and a general undertone of darkness, the bright strings and transcendent keys—paired with the lively female vocalizations and singer Wildman’s rich, warm tones—create an immediate sense of reverie and worship that pierced the heart of my preconceived notions of gloom. While Graveyards of Joy maintains the occasionally oppressive and melodramatic hallmarks of TodoMal’s past releases (“Point of Coalescence”, “Unholy”, “Deliverance”), there is nonetheless a sense of, well, joy that permeates the record. Be it the aforementioned transcendence of “Mare Ignis” or the big Hammond-backed aura of bangers “Unholy” and “Humanised Gods”, TodoMal stick true to their goal of crafting an album focused as much on hope and light as sorrow and hurt.

Better still, TodoMal marries these dichotomous themes into a cohesive whole, rather than treating them as separate elements to be metered out across the album’s runtime. Even on decidedly darker and more aggressive cuts like “Unholy”, with its Castlevania-coded Hammond-driven melodrama and heavy metal riffage, or the cinematic folk of “Deliverance”, the band never allow darkness to fully eclipse their compositions, always making space for slivers of golden light to speckle their rich musical landscapes. TodoMal’s aims are clearly laid out from jump: on “Mare Ignis” Wildman proclaims “no hope is gone” even as the song steeps itself in a brooding atmosphere. However, the downside of this infusion is that some of Graveyards of Joy threatens to wash over the senses like a monochrome wave, leaving album highlights like “Mare Ignis”, “Unholy”, and “Humanised Gods” to act as beacons in these always pleasant, but occasionally placid, seas.

Still, even the more forgettable cuts like “Misericordiah” and “For Mercy” are rejuvenated in the moment thanks to a bright production job, which gives life to every instrument (though the bass does tend to vanish when the compositions get busy), and provides especially rich texture to the acoustic folk playing. Graveyards of Joy is a beautiful listening experience overall, a fine canvas of doom metal rendered in strokes of uplifting color that resonates with an almost religious or spiritual energy throughout. Like Rigalt’s Ruines, TodoMal have constructed a work that, despite being worn smooth in places, maintains a character and presence that invites discovery.

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Recommended tracks: Mare Ignis, Unholy, Humanised Gods, Graveyards of Joy
You may also like: Dark Quarterer, Junius, Sunyata, Crypt Sermon, Sumerlands
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Season of Mist Records

TodoMal is:
– Wildman (vocals, guitars, keyboards)
– Mile (bass, drums, keyboards, backing vocals)
With guests:
– Cecilia Tallo (vocals)
– Teodora Gosheva (vocals)
– Darío Garrido (acoustic guitars)
– Manu Clavijo (live strings)