Fast Rites: because sometimes brevity is fundamental.
A confession: I saw this name and immediately thought of Cannabis Corpse’s Tube of the Resinated and got really excited for some sort of stonery death-sludge, then I saw the logo and got even more excited that perhaps Resin Tomb would be Pissgrave’s very own Cannabis Corpse-style tribute band. Even if the stars did not align with my (admittedly stupid) expectations, Resin Tomb has arrived to bludgeon and rage with a very promising 15 minutes on their self-titled EP.
If you are familiar with Brisbane, Australia’s extreme metal underground, and you love Pokémon, then you definitely know Brendan Auld’s Snorlax (Resin Tomb takes their name from a track on Snorlax’s II EP). Or perhaps you are best buds with Siberian Hell Sounds (who take their name from this metal-as-hell hoax), Descent, and/or Consumed. In the month or so that I’ve been exploring everything these incestuous bands have released, I haven’t heard a single thing that doesn’t rip my damn face off. Cavernous death metal, blackened and grinding in equal measure, forms the core of the Brisbanic scene. Resin Tomb is another delightfully crusty addition to the pantheon.
Resin Tomb relies on furiously blasting drums, dissonant, ugly (but still coherent!) riffs, and multi-faceted, unhinged deep roars and high screams. Resin Tomb also knows that the key to a really good aural ass-whooping is dynamics. Let the riffs breathe a bit, and the bludgeoning hits that much harder. “Penance” has some tasty arpeggiated guitar that hangs out in space between the blasts. “Surfacing” lets the tremolo, ahem, surface for about a minute before the full band jumps into the fray. Think Ulcerate, but a bit more direct with the riffs and more versatility with the vocals.
If you like your death metal dissonant and cavernous, with touches of blackened guitars and grinding riffs, and you have about 15 minutes to spare, Resin Tomb will gladly whoop your ass. Brisbane’s extreme metal scene is alive and well, and Resin Tomb should make their fellow Aussies proud.
Release date: July 31, 2020
Label: Brilliant Emperor Records
