The debut EP by Tombal, ‘Grave of the Damned’, is a short but very effective piece of old school Death Metal. With five songs and roughly fifteen minutes of music, it becomes clear from the very first seconds where the band is heading: dirty, direct, brutal Death Metal, deeply marked by the Swedish tradition of the late 80s and early 90s.
What makes this interesting is that Tombal does not come from Sweden, but from Italy. That gives the whole thing a particular appeal, because the band manages to capture with great precision that classic HM-2 ferocity: the chainsaw guitar tone, the immediate sense of decay and the frontal attack one quickly associates with the Swedish old school. If someone listened to this EP without knowing it was a new band, they could easily think they were hearing a lost recording from that era.
The production is very well achieved. It does not sound artificially modern, nor does it sound weak or poorly recorded. It has the right balance to keep the dirt of the style alive without losing strength or clarity. The guitars have that abrasive and corrosive edge this kind of Death Metal demands, while the rhythmic foundation pushes the songs forward with confidence. There are no unnecessary detours or ornaments here: Tombal goes straight to the point, and that works in their favor.
The voice of Luigi Cara also deserves to be highlighted, as it fits perfectly within this proposal. His vocal register has the aggression and depth needed to sustain the character of the EP. He does not try to move too far away from the mold, but he delivers exactly what one expects from a band working within this sound: presence, violence, darkness and a constant sense of threat.
Another important point is the visual aspect. The artwork works very well, the Tombal logo stands out, and the whole graphic identity helps reinforce that atmosphere of graves, putrefaction and classic Death Metal. In a style where aesthetics also communicate a lot, Tombal understands that the image must go hand in hand with the sound.
Musically, ‘Grave of the Damned’ does not try to reinvent Death Metal. Its purpose seems much clearer: to take a specific tradition, execute it with conviction and show that the band knows how to move within that language. The five songs are brutal, compact and well crafted. There is energy, there are effective riffs, and there is a clear understanding of what makes this kind of metal work.
Of course, being such a new band, one expects that in their next releases they will be able to develop an even stronger identity of their own. This EP shows that Tombal already handles the sound very well, but the next step will be to see how far they can take it: whether they can add more personality, more memorable riffs and a more distinctive mark within such a recognizable school.
Still, as a first statement, ‘Grave of the Damned’ works very well. It is a solid, brutal, well-recorded EP with a strong visual identity. Tombal does not sound like a band trying to learn the style; they sound like a band that already knows exactly where it stands.
Old school Death Metal, HM-2, Swedish ferocity filtered through Italy, five direct songs and a band worth keeping an eye on.
A very good debut. Tombal enters the grave with force.
