Style: Progressive death metal, progressive black metal (mixed vocals, mostly harsh)
Recommended for fans of: Ne Obliviscaris, An Abstract Illusion, Fallujah, Wilderun
Country: Georgia, United States
Release date: 04 April 2025
My knowledge of art history is limited, as is my understanding of visual art, but I’ll go to a few museums a year to get my required dose of culture and keep the illusion of sophistication alive. Even if I don’t fully appreciate the paintings, there’s one type that always leaves me awestruck: the big-ass painting. The canvas that occupies an entire wall. The painting so epic in scope it draws in ignorant tourists like me through sheer magnitude, even though none of us can offer more than, “Wow, that thing’s huge. Pretty colors, too.”
There’s a certain brand of modern progressive death metal that’s tantamount to the big-ass painting. Bands like Ne Obliviscaris, An Abstract Illusion, and Wilderun are putting out albums so ambitious, epic, and grand that, whether they resonate or not, their enormity alone should knock the listener into a state of awe. Fortunately, I’m better at comprehending music than visual art, and many of these epics sit among my favorite modern works—they strike me the same way the immense paintings are probably intended to. Apparently plotting to join this distinguished group of artists, Atlanta-based Tómarúm have grabbed a vastly oversized canvas and painted it with their sophomore LP, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria. I won’t bury the lede: this work makes a worthy case for inclusion in the hallowed halls of big-ass prog death.
Holding nearly seventy minutes of dense, nuanced compositions, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria is an intimidating chunk of music. But Tómarúm provide plenty of hooks and lighter instrumental passages that serve as aural footholds, allowing the listener to regroup along the journey—and what a journey it is. After about a minute of airy synth swells and a delicate motif sitting on top, the album’s opener bursts forth with frenetic drums and bass accompanied by soaring guitar leads before transitioning into an intricate, techy verse. Emblematic of the album as a whole, the ten-minute track wanders through mind-bending riffs and off-kilter rhythms, melodic refrains, a bass-driven bridge with acoustic guitar and synth accents, and harmonious guitar solos. With each band member holding a vocal credit in the album notes, a mixture of throaty howls, low growls, stoic cleans, and melodic singing tells the album’s tale: one of striving to rise from the depths of despair, seeking transcendence and triumph.
The despair-to-triumph concept underlying Beyond Obsidian Euphoria is ever-present in the album’s atmosphere, which oscillates through all shades of dark and light, enhanced by ubiquitous synth touches and diverse vocals widely covering the tonal and emotional spectrums. The most consistent feature is meandering guitar leads that ring gloomy yet hopeful—bittersweet melodies floating over blasting drums and dexterous bass. It’s impossible not to compare the feel to that of Fallujah, who have mastered the art of using gliding guitars and turbulent rhythms to build impactful soundscapes. Perfectly complementing Beyond Obsidian Euphoria’s atmosphere is its earthy and organic production, applying just enough polish for each instrument to stand out while avoiding the plastic, sonic sheen that coats many modern albums.
Beyond Obsidian Euphoria is most impressive in its holistic execution of a wildly ambitious vision, but plenty of distinct moments stand out. For one, the way the immaculate, whimsical instrumental “Introspection III” carries right into the cataclysmic opening moments of “Shallow Ecstasy”—like black storm clouds sweeping in to fill previously gossamer skies. Or the bass solo in “Blood Mirage” followed by a contrabass solo in the next track, “Halcyon Memory: Dreamscapes Across the Blue.” And even having gone numb to guitar solos over the years, my brain locked right onto those strewn throughout “Shed this Erroneous Skin.” Perhaps the album’s high point, Tómarúm throw everything they have at you in the fourteen-minute penultimate track, “The Final Pursuit of Light”: from rolling, blackened riffs to tasteful dissonance, drumming that exhibits inhuman endurance, and an abundance of bass guitar flourishes. Meanwhile, Opethian influence shines through the track’s middle section with Åkerfeldt-esque growls over punchy minor chords, dark and soulful guitar leads, and groovy, atmospheric bridges built on top of clean guitars in Ghost Reveries style. The song is a grab bag of captivating ideas performed ridiculously well. And if all this weren’t enough, the relatively short closing track brings back the album’s opening motif, tidily putting a bow on this behemoth.
We couldn’t expect an album this massive to be without some cracks, and fortunately Beyond Obsidian Euphoria’s are few. Although the vocal barrage, evidently coming from all five members, keeps the sprawling tracks fresh, no performance is particularly noteworthy. The differing harsh vocals are average for the most part, and, if being generous, the cleans are at best serviceable in context—they’re welcome for the variety they add but aren’t always in key or tonally compelling. The opener’s monotone chorus and the awkward cleans in “Shallow Ecstasy” are a couple of spots where the vocals dip from neutral to negative. Moreover, as with nearly any album of this length, some of it begins to blur together. “Halcyon Memory” and “Silver, Ashen Tears,” while enjoyable on their own, don’t quite distinguish themselves as much as the other tracks. Then again, if Beyond Obsidian Euphoria were trimmed to a more concise length, it just wouldn’t hold the same grandeur. And, considering how extraordinary most of the album is, its few issues are mere drops in the metaphorical ocean.
All in all, Tómarúm have done it: their latest big-ass painting deserves to be displayed in the halls of modern progressive death metal. Maybe Beyond Obsidian Euphoria won’t be the main exhibit, but wherever it’s hung, it’s every bit worthy of the spot. Tómarúm envisioned an album frighteningly large in scope and shaped it into an intricate, immersive, and rewarding work. As excited as I am to see how the band fills their next sonic canvas, there’s certainly no hurry—after spending several hours with this one, I’m still uncovering new layers to appreciate.
Recommended tracks: Shed This Erroneous Skin, The Final Pursuit of Light
You may also like: Orgone, Disillusion, Iapetus, Dessiderium, Amiensus, Virvum
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Prosthetic Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Tómarúm is:
– Kyle Walburn (Guitar, Vocals, Programming)
– Brandon Iacovella (Guitar, Vocals, Programming, Contrabass, Narration)
– Matthew Longerbeam (Guitar, Vocals)
– Michael Sanders (Bass, Vocals)
– Chris Stropoli (Drums, Vocals, Programming, Sound Design)
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