(Andy Synn presents some meaty Death Metal from an up-and-coming new band)
Well, I think it’s safe to say that 2026 is fully under way now and, while the year – in my opinion at least – has yet to produce an obvious early stand-out, there’s definitely been a bunch of good-to-great records already released, which bodes well for next 11 months or so.
Indeed, just by taking a quick glance at what’s coming up/coming out in the next few months (including a few extremely promising promos currently sitting in our inbox) I can tell you that there’s a lot to look forward to, and that’s without even taking into account whatever unexpected comebacks, surprise releases, brand-new debuts… and whatever other unnanounced albums that are yet to make an appearance.
Our plan, of course, is to cover as many of them as possible – though I’m sure there’ll be a vast array of albums which we’re simply not able to dedicate enough time to – and so, in that spirit, I thought I’d pen a few words about the recently-released self-titled debut from Kansas City crush-mongers Tombseeker.
Heavy (and I do mean heavy) on the Death Metal vibes, but not ashamed to admit to a hefty Hardcore influence (something which might irritate some of the more stubborn purists out there, despite the fact that many of the most seminal Death Metal acts who defined the scene were just as happy to acknowledge their Hardcore and/or Punk influences too), the band’s debut quickly puts its best foot forward with the malevolently melodic grind ‘n’ groove of “Tombseeker” (by the band Tombseeker, from the album Tombseeker… see, I know the meme too).
As this song demonstrates, setting both the bar and the tone for the rest of the album, those of you who may have been put off by the mention of the dreaded H-word will be happy to know that the primary focus of the band’s sound is firmly on the deathlier side of things, all low, bowel-scraping guitars and equally low, gut-roiling gutturals, topped off with the occasional skin-shredding solo and propelled by a hard-hitting combo of prowling bass-lines and punchy kick-drums.
That’s not to say there aren’t moments – such as the thuggish, churning chuggery of “Flagellated”, or the unforgiving ground and pound of “They All Bleed the Same” (which together provide two of the album’s nastiest, and catchiest, highlights) – where the influence of the likes of 100 Demons and Merauder cuts through the murk, but the album’s main mode of attack (especially during the relentless battery of the brutish, bass-heavy “Immolated Self” and the punishing, blastbeat ‘n’ breakdown propelled “Chamber of Torment”) errs firmly towards the Cannibal Corpse and/or Suffocation side of the spectrum.
Sure, there’s still a few flaws to iron out – “Trenches” has a lot of fun (and filthy) moments, but shifts gears far more awkwardly than I’d like, and punky closer “Anticitizen”, despite spewing some serious vocal vitriol, definitely feels a little anticlimactic in the wake of the absolutely monstrous finale of late-album-highlight “Catacomb Crawl” – but there’s more than enough promise and potential on display here, especially if the group continue to further refine and integrate their Death Metal and Hardcore sides, to see Tombseeker start climbing the ranks in the years to come.