ninehertz

Their Cognitive Erosion EP release went down well, the type of demo that goes around the world quickly, links reaching me from more than one insistent friend. Now comes the self titled debut full length, and it’ll no doubt generate even more buzz.

Featuring Ben Hutcherson of doom masters Khemmis, Glacial Tomb presumably act as an outlet for his necro fixes. Right away, on first track Monolithos, this is a terrifying dirge. Huge rolling death and doom thunder clouds set the light, a plethora of riff based activity adding to the clamour. That’s a minute in, and by song end I’m absolutely hooked.

It gets better. Breath of Pestilence is blasted by a spirit-rattling metal surge so as to cause tremors, the punk pace ferocious. When it slows dramatically it becomes even mightier. There are key and telling sludge inflections and tunings there and about all album long, which thicken the swamp waters.

Possibly pick of the bunch is Witness. A spine tinglingly bright opening is completely flattened by a monstrous death metal juggernaut trampling right through the middle. Magnificent.

I could go on, even the tracks I’m not mentioning are all worthy, the album spoiling us with its consistency, its variance, it’s all round brilliance. I’m off to spread the word - Glacial Tomb have birthed a monster.