TÓMARÚM, which translates from Icelandic to “empty space,” exists as a sonic vessel used to explore the mental void left by extreme emotional pain. Formed in 2017, the progressive black metal duo from Atlanta, Georgia tackles topics such as depression, anxiety, loss, and worthlessness over songs inspired equally by atmospheric black metal and technical death metal: melancholy, tremolo picked chords, aggressive pedal-point riffs and shred solos galore glide over precise and dynamic drumming, and are further accentuated by fretless bass, tasteful orchestrations, and a wide variety of vocal styles.
With the release of their debut EP, 2020’s Wounds Ever Expanding, TÓMARÚM began to generate a buzz online: the 17-minute release, which featured art by Mariusz Lewandowski and mixing/mastering by Colin Marston, garnered praise for its effective fusion of atmospheric black metal and technical death metal, being called “all at once tense, moving, and beautiful, and a must-listen for fans of technical music and melodic black metal” by Toilet ov Hell, as well as “so effortlessly unique on this two track release that it’s hard to resist their complex charm” by Heavy Blog is Heavy. The EP also earned a spot on Metal Injection’s Top Tech Death EPs of 2020 list.
Following the success of Wounds Ever Expanding, Kyle Walburn (guitars, vocals, programming) and Brandon Iacovella (guitars, vocals, contrabass) set to work on their debut full-length – titled Ash in Realms of Stone Icons. The seven track, hour-long record features session bass from Arran McSporran of VIRVUM, session drums from Spencer Moore of INFERI, and a beautiful cover painted by Mariusz Lewandowski, and display TÓMARÚM at their sharpest and most vulnerable to date. Ash in Realms of Stone Icons is the product of four years of obsessive work and dedication and is the ultimate declaration of intent from a band with their sights set on breaking barriers.
Written in order of its tracklist, Ash in Realms of Stone Icons is intended to offer a cohesive listening experience that has a definitive exposition, climax and end. Across the album’s runtime TÓMARÚM’s core partnership of Walburn and Iacovella consolidate achingly mournful atmospherics with devastating speed and technical ability as a means of profound artistic catharsis. Nowhere better is this exemplified than the towering album closer, Awake Into Eternal Slumber, which stands at a little over 15 minutes and seamlessly takes all that TÓMARÚM has built before it and triumphantly conveys the essence of the young band.
TÓMARÚM is:
Kyle Walburn – guitars, vocals, programming
Brandon Iacovella – guitars, vocals, contrabass
