* En anglais uniquement
A Brooklyn, New York-based experimental metal outfit that blends bleak post-rock minimalism with the ferocious attack of sludge and classic black metal,
Tombs emerged in 2007 and found critical and commercial success in 2011 with their sophomore effort,
Path of Totality. Citing a wide array of influences that includes
Swans,
Darkthrone,
Black Flag, and
Bauhaus, the group continued to hone their unique brand of blackened extreme metal on subsequent releases like
Savage Gold (2014) and
The Grand Annihilation (2017).
Formed in 2007 as a collaboration between
Mike Hill (
Anodyne), Dominic Seita (
Speedloader), and
Justin Ennis (the Heuristic), Tombs' dark proto-industrial sounds were first put to wax that year in the form of a two-song EP simply entitled Tombs, and by the time the group got around to unleashing a proper full-length for Relapse, 2009’s
Winter Hours, Seita and
Ennis had been replaced with Carson James and
Andrew Hernandez (Asra), respectively. The band’s sophomore outing, 2011’s acclaimed
Path of Totality, was produced by
John Congleton (
Baroness,
Explosions in the Sky), and featured prominently on many critics’ year-end metal lists. 2014's
Erik Rutan-produced
Savage Gold marked the debuts of guitarist Garett Bussanick and bassist Ben Brand, and 2017's savage
The Grand Annihilation proved to be the group's most experimental set of material to date. The band inked a deal with Season of Mist in 2019 and released the
Monarchy of Shadows of EP the following year. ~ James Christopher Monger