Resin Tomb - Cerebral Purgatory (Album Review)
Resin Tomb – Cerebral Purgatory
Released: Jan 19th, 2024
Line Up:
Matt Budge // Vocals
Brendan Auld // Guitars
Matt Gordan // Guitars
Mitch Long // Bass
Perry Vedelago // Drums
Online:
Mere days into the new year and the first wave of fresh extreme metal music is already bubbling under the surface, ready to burst out. One of the hottest Australian acts ready to unleash their debut effort onto the world is Brisbane brutalists Resin Tomb. With band members in fellow SE QLD groups Snorlax, Descent, Crossface (and more), the five-piece have built their reputation on the back of their grinding, dissonant death metal, catching the eyes and ears of international label Transcending Obscurity for the release of their first LP Cerebral Purgatory.
Album opener ‘Dysphoria’ is a massive tone-setter for the next eight songs; the track bursting out the speakers led by vicious guitar work, flattening drums and Matt Budge’s throat-tearing screams. It’s difficult to put an exact label on Resin Tomb’s sound - there are elements of grindcore, death metal, sludge, black metal, tech-death and more - with the raw and real production adding further layers onto the claustrophobic attack. There’s no doubt that the Brisbanites have landed on their style, and though they stick to the same playbook, Resin Tomb’s unique melding is strong and unique enough that it stays fresh and attesting over Cerebral Purgatory’s full runtime.
Though often bleak and suffocating, there is no shortage of pulse-racing power throughout the album as a whole. It’s relentless intensity is obvious and addictive from the first spin; however, it’s after repeated listens that the intricacies of Resin Tomb’s songwriting begin to really shine through - it certainly demands the undivided attention of the listener. Open strings ring out among tremolo-picked guitar runs, with plenty of moments of blurring speed and violence - see the raging ‘Human Confetti’ and the inspired ‘Scalded’ - while drummer Perry Vedelago throws in plenty of half-time grooves and feel-changes to keep the momentum moving.
Cerebral Purgatory’s massive middle point - the huge title track - spends almost it’s whole runtime building layers upon layers of rolling bass and drums, before exploding at the end with a lurching tempo change and Matt Budge’s harsh vocals. On the other end of the spectrum, the riff-driven 'Purge Fluid’ might be the most immediate piece on the LP, yet still jacked-up with driving energy, while the following to-the-throat ‘Concrete Crypt’ flies by before climaxing with an almighty outro. The closing 'Putrescence' closes out the record in fine form; the album-finale assaulting the listener one last time with yet another heaving cut that builds to another thunderous end.
It’s only the start of January, and we already have a strong contender for the Australian heavy release of the year with Cerebral Purgatory. At less than half an hour long, there is 0% fat - or weak points - to be found on Resin Tomb’s debut, with the record best experienced (and deserving) to be listened to front-to-back. Fans of extreme metal at it’s most sludgiest, skin-peeling and dissonant will lap every second of Resin Tomb’s scorching first full length - forget Brisbane’s next big thing; Cerebral Purgatory is a truly world classic offering.
Resin Tomb – Cerebral Purgatory tracklisting
- Dysphoria
- Flesh Brick
- Scalded
- Cerebral Purgatory
- Human Confetti
- Purge Fluid
- Concrete Crypt
- Putrescence
Rating: 9/10
Cerebral Purgatory is out Jan 19th on Transcending Obscurity Records. Order here
Review By – Andrew Kapper. Twitter: @andrew_kapper
