I don’t remember how I stumbled across Atlanta’s Tómarúm (maybe an IG ad?), but I have been enamored with their latest release ever since I started listening to it. If you have read any of my reviews, you know I like stuff that isn’t straightforward, has plenty of technicality and melody, and exemplifies great songwriting and musical composition. “Beyond Obsidian Euphoria” was released in April on the same label that released the latest Dawn of Ouroboros (another incredible release!), and much like that album, it takes an extreme genre (in this case black metal) and puts a cool unique spin on it. It is a concept album that continues events from their first album (which I am admittedly unfamiliar with but will be changing that soon!) and is searching for hope out of the depths of despair. The band’s name itself is Icelandic for words like “emptiness,” “void,” or “vacuum,” matching the album’s theme. There is light narration throughout to push the story along, and most songs feature seamless transitions between tracks, making it feel like a massive opus. This album is long, clocking in at just shy of 70 minutes, and yet it never feels long. I find with a lot of complex, longer prog albums, I have to really spend time and focus on it, unable to appreciate it if I cannot expend the necessary energy. That has not been the case with this album. It is interesting and accessible enough to just listen to, but it absolutely rewards the listener for deeper inspection and time investment. I feel like I discover new tidbits with each successive listen. Each song is multi-layered and takes you on a meandering journey that will take turns assaulting and soothing your auditory senses, all while building rich musical depth. There is a lot going on in each track, but nothing ever feels out of place, a cohesive experience that is as broad as it is deep.

I will start with just how incredible the drumming is on this album. Whether pummeling with blast beats, going on a fast gallop, approaching djent in different ways, or doing all the crazy fills, the drumming is phenomenal and adds so much richness to the band’s sound. The multi-guitar attack is also incredible, not just with the myriad melodies, but also with dynamics, technicality, and variety. You don’t typically associate black metal with virtuoso guitar solos, but they are plentiful and oh so delicious. The bass is quite good, providing a solid underbelly, and when it gets a chance to shine it really makes a statement. The vocals span extremes and cleans, with notes of death, black, doom, and post-rock/metalcore-esque, and the underlying melodies and harmonies work very well. This is a band of talented musicians, and they gel very well together to deliver their unique soundscapes.

The album starts out with “In Search of the Triumph Beyond… (Obsidian Overture),” which introduces you to a somber melody that ties the entire album together, then rips your face off with an assault of blastbeats topped by some fabulous guitar melodies before going all out black metal on your ears. They give a brief proggy melodic reprieve before cranking the speed again, and then treat you to a somber chorus with melancholy cleans. And at this point we are only 4 minutes into a 10 minute song! I really love how they completely step on the brakes at around the 5 and a half minute mark, building some incredible atmosphere before a killer guitar solo. This first track is an excellent example of what is in store for you on this album: speed and brutality, incredible melodies, technical musicianship, dynamic contrast, and a proggy sensibility that will take you on an auditory adventure with many twists and turns.

After the brutal race to the finish, there is a perfect segueway into “Introspection III,” a beautiful melodic instrumental piece with some lightweight narration that sets up “Shallow Ecstasy,” proggy blackened death at its finest. It starts with a super cool off tempo heavy intro before delivering an opus of blastbeat-driven prog, complete with cool guitar melodies and solos and an assortment of brutal and clean vocals. The dynamics change at the end echos the previous track (at least to my ears) and gives the listener a short breather.

“Shed This Erroneous Skin” was the first single and probably my favorite track. There is just so much going on musically. I love the laid back melodic feel of the middle section that gives you a short reprieve after the onslaught for the first several minutes, before hitting you even harder right after. The guitarwork on this song is some of my favorite on the entire album, with killer melodies and progressions. After you have been constantly assaulted, the song ends with a melodic doomy section with great vocal harmonies and harmonized guitar solo.

This transitions into the shortest song with vocals, “Blood Mirage,” another slab of heavy and fast melded with prog sensibilities. There is blastbeat-driven djent, thrashy riffs, and some of my favorite bass guitar on the album, all tied together with a fast and furious black metal pace. It ends with some light narration before transitioning into “Halcyon Memory: Dreamscapes Across the Blue,” which starts with more narration and melody before punching you in the mouth again. The consistent tradeoff between extreme and cleans works especially well in this song. The middle section acts as a narrative segueway for the story, again building a dreamy atmospheric backdrop that allows you to settle before the next wave of brutality. The band is really thoughtful with these sections, starting with a “less is more” mentality that layers on itself before ripping your head off again. The cleans post this section over blastbeats have a triumphant feel, as does the amazing very long guitar solo.

What is crazy as we haven’t hit the 10 minutes mark on a song yet, and the next 2 both surpass, with the latter just over 14 minutes! Even these songs don’t feel long in the tooth, naturally flowing and meandering along their musical path with all the variety and technicality they can muster without feeling over the top and incongruent. “Silver, Ashen Tears” continues the trend of great guitar melodies and solos that happen throughout rather than in one singular spot like many bands do, lots of extreme / clean vocals interplay, a big chorus, and cool proggy rhythms supplemented by blastbeats and crazy technical fills (have I mentioned just how great the drumming is on this album?), an extreme prog triumph with a majestic ending. 14-minute epic “The Final Pursuit of Light” hits you like a Scandinavian black metal battalion out of the gate, eventually revealing its proggy underpinnings with offbeat brutality, before transitioning into another melodic section with cleans and a terrific guitar solo. I won’t spoil the final 8+ minutes for you, but it is a journey worth going on. Closer “Becoming the Stone Icon (Obsidian Reprise)” returns to the initial melody and closes things out in style, with a “singy” narrated refrain and plenty of blastbeats to go along with the atmospheric melody.

Tómarúm is currently touring North America, and I am hoping to catch them in the Pacific Northwest in June. I would love to see how this translates live, as I am sure it would be quite the musical adventure! Regardless, I have an early contender for one of my top albums of the year, and you should definitely give this one a listen!

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