note: misanthropaganda is so much more fun when you view it on your desktop or laptop. Your tablet is fine I guess, as is your phone, but for full enjoyment and understanding of the artist's (ha ha) vision, take my suggestion. It gives the posts a look that's a bit more reminiscent of an old 90's fanzine layout, which is the whole point of this bullshit blog...
Back in March, I reviewed Poison Idea's Pick Your King and the most recent EP by NY's Tombs titled Monarchy Of Shadows. Typically I publish reviews as standalone posts, but for some reason I reviewed these two pieces as part of a 'stream-of-consciousness' bit.
Now, fast forward four months to July...
While shelving stacks of music that have accumulated upon my desk (yes, an actual desk now and not a mini-fridge), I came across the Tombs EP which I hadn't given a spin to in a couple of weeks. I decided to bump it before situating it in its permanent home ( in chronological order alongside the other five releases that I possess by Tombs.)
My liking towards Monarchy Of Shadows has not diminished one bit since my last listen. Whenever I slip into a Black Metal mood, this record will scratch my itch as much as a Blaze In The Northern Sky or a De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas can -my apologies to any necro-sound ultra-purist that may have become appalled by such a notion.
It was upon this most recent listen that I realized this release deserves its respect, it deserves its own posting where it isn't mish-mashed into a hundred other mismanaged thoughts that my Latuda prescription can't seem to keep at bay. So I just busted out a cut and paste and created this post to properly honor this thing because as you are about to read (hopefully), this fucking record is no joke.
Again, I did not change the tense of the review, this is merely a cut-and-paste from the original mention in March, so if you read it and it seems out-dated its because it is, dumbass! So, without further ado, I present to you the review of Tombs sixth release, Monarchy Of Shadows:
(Reposted from March 30th) The new album by Brooklyn, NY's own Tombs titled Monarchy Of Shadows is a release that I have been looking forward to for quite some time, as with all of this NY Black Metal outfit's work. Fucking A, I literally ordered this shit yesterday morning and Amazon delivered it to my doorstep an hour ago. How's that for service amidst a global pandemic crisis? Jeff Bezos, you deserve a two-headed blowjob, every hour on the hour! I salute you, sir!
I discovered Tombs in 2006 when they were out promoting their second album Path Of Totality. I became interested in them initially based on the imagery which they incorporated. A lot of it seemed to make strong allusion to Thelema and other esoteric and occult schools. Around that time I was heavily interested in the likes so Tombs was a perfect fit which has stuck to this day.
Traditionally, Tombs sound has been a marriage of Black Metal, Sludge and Post-Metal (like Souls At Zero era Neurosis for example). There are some traces of a fondness for Swans that play into their previous work as well. Also, another influence present -which perhaps would be unavoidable to any extreme music band from the BK- is that of early '90s, breakdown-oriented Brooklyn Hardcore. However Monarchy Of Shadows seems to shed all additional flavor that has peppered prior records and seems to just storm through its 35 minute playlist with a stricter adherence to Black Metal orthodoxy than previously heard. There are still moshy breakdowns interspersed lightly throughout the proceedings but their use isn't as prevalent as it once was in their repertoire. Even all traces of synth, present on previous recordings, seems to have been significantly reduced since full-time keyboardist Fade Kainer's departure. I only detected synth on two tracks ("The Dark Rift" and "Once Falls The Guillotine"), and those are now performed courtesy of drummer Justin Spaeth. In an odd way (because I do hate synths in a Metal context) I miss that component of Tombs sound because it was always used to create this ambiance of deep space or the cosmos, which is a recurring theme I have surmised in Tombs lyrics (cosmic esotericism, or Astrotheology).
In my opinion this is their best release to date which is saying a lot when considering that this band's catalog is nothing to thumb your nose at! Prior to Monarchy Of Shadows if someone were to ask me what is the ideal Tombs jump off, I would have referred them to Paths Of Totality. That will no longer be the case after this new addition to their anthology. On this new album they just rip it out at full speed ahead. It's an unrelenting ordeal. I am commanding you to jump on this. The recording may be a little too polished for you shit-sound die-hards, but for people like myself whose bread and butter isn't Black Metal and that appreciate being able to hear notes and chords clearly, this shit is on point.
The art direction is really beautiful, as has always been with this band's work. As I had mentioned earlier their imagery was what fished me in initially. All of their work has had appropriately provocative art to accompany their dark, mythical sound (except for the Savage Gold cover which was a real piece of shit.) The front cover art is gorgeous to me, and the inside of the CD version carries on that clean motif in cream and blue, illustrating the same "skull-cup" from the cover in different perspectives. Lyrically you don't get your usual Satan and evil that most Black Metal bands have to offer. Rather, as stated earlier, Tombs writes mostly on an esoteric tip from a dark perspective but I don't think that the aim is to be 'evil' in some dopey way. Their music is dark and heavy, and so I feel that their arcane lines are only appropriate to accompany the mood of the work. Yo, fuck what I think, you smelly little pinks, hook up quick-fast! It's like $11 bucks on Amazon Prime meaning you'll get it by tomorrow. Hook up now!
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