Review: “Cerebral Purgatory” by Resin Tomb

Hailing from Brisbane Australia, Resin Tomb are a Sludge fuelled dissonant Blackened Death Grind supergroup, featuring in their ranks members of Consumed, Siberian Hell Sounds, Descent and Feculent to name but a few, that have been rattling cages since their inception in 2019. A pair of well received EPs have paved the way to their debut album “Cerebral Purgatory” with guitarist Brendan Auld (Crave Death, Pustilence, Idle Ruin) once again recording and mixing at his very own Black Blood Audio. Drums were engineered at Qsound studio A. before mastering by the legendary Arthur Rizk (Integrity, Power Trip, Outer Heaven) while the whole thing is wrapped in artwork by Mitchell Nolte (Baest, Werewolves). All of that makes this one a tantalizing prospect, not to mention both long awaited and highly anticipated…

Cliché’s aside, there can be no doubt about the horsepower that Resin Tomb have under the hood. They’re very much the classic 1981 Dodge Charger of dissonant Blackened Death Grind outfits, the kind with so much torque that if you pushed the pedal to the metal in the wrong circumstances you’d probably tear it in half. The record opens the kind of sinister and menacing vicious little ditty that you’d probably expect but that nothing can truly prepare you for in “Dysphoria“. A blood curdling scream from vocalist Matt Budge leading you down the dark left hand path with the kind of pulverizing blackened rhythms that feel densely packed and claustrophobic with that depth and intensity that make them impossible to ignore. The frantic blasting of skin basher Perry Vedelago and the chugging bass from Mitch Long register on the Richter scale before “Flesh Brick” finds Scott Tabone of Burial Pit lending his throat. Spine chilling lead riffs enhance the atmospheric during this bomb blast of a track, confirming that Resin Tomb have it all in their hurt locker if they want to expose it; they then rear their ugly head once more in minimalistic fashion during the brute that is “Scalded“.

It has to be said the attention to detail on this record is incredible, there are little nuances littered throughout that creep out of the mix over multiple listens which make it one that you’ll want to go back to time and time again. Its far from the all out bludgeoning than it may appear to be on the surface even if the wall of noise they create can seem like a giant immovable object at first. Keeping the discerning listener on the edge of their metaphorical seat (or should that be electric chair?) title track “Cerebral Purgatory” builds in pummelling fashion with some impressive drum patterns from Perry Vedelago. It’s not until the half way point when the caustic vocals from Matt Budge rear their ugly head, his two tone style sounding like he’s about to burst a blood vessel at any point. The jagged guitars blow the mind once more, Auld and Gordon keeping things taut and tense before what feels like an abrupt ending because in truth this one could have built back up to another violently turbulent crescendo and run to six minutes or more without feeling like it had outstayed its welcome. That ending however does bleed into the start of “Human Confetti“, making the two cuts feel like conjoined twins separated at birth, the main guitar part having a disturbing quality during the first 90 seconds of this skull splintering sonic abrasion. That guitar part returns later on and perhaps oddly gives the cut the feel of Meshuggah with the way it churns, if anything a testament to the creativity and innovation within the ranks of Resin Tomb.

That makes way for a bludgeoning moment of pure catharsis in “Purge Fluid” as the band strike every note with as much force as they possibly can, the underlying 90’s Metallic Hardcore simplicity of the song structure a joy to behold. That hides beneath the sheer weight of the bands sonic assault on the senses which should come with a health warning. As if that wasn’t enough, the tectonic plate shifting sounds of “Concrete Crypt” make for the kind of music which is used in sleep depravation torture, obliterating your soul from existence via the ear canal in some kind of medieval experiment. Naturally the band have one more trick in the book as they only operate in even numbers and deliver us to evil with the almighty power of “Putrescence“. Clank-y basslines, dissonant guitars and pulverizing kit work from musicians with calloused hands provide the flames, the vocal decimating the weak to the point of no return in a grand finale worth the admittance fee alone. Be warned, Resin Tomb are a powerful force of darkness not to be reckoned with [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Dysphoria
2. Flesh Brick (ft. Scott Tabone of Burial Pit)
3. Scalded
4. Cerebral Purgatory
5. Human Confetti
6. Purge Fluid
7. Concrete Crypt
8. Putrescence

“Cerebral Purgatory” by Resin Tomb is 0ut 19th January 2024 via Transcending Obscurity Records