Band:	Nuclear Tomb
Album:	Terror Labyrinthian
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	April 19, 2024
Guest review by:	Blackcrowe

01. Obsoletion
02. Terror Labyrinthian
03. Fatal Visions
04. Dominance & Persecution
05. Vile Humanity
06. Manufacturing Consent
07. Parasitic (Live A Lie)
08. Born Into Torment
09. Ashen Lamb

An anthropocene fear of technology.

Terror Labyrinthian from Nuclear Tomb came up in my Bandcamp feed, and I’m really glad it did! I love it when a band tries something new. There are two ways to be original: the easy way and the hard way. It’s like falling in love with music: you break through walls with your creativity. This band really impressed me with their unique sound and rough production, blending death metal, thrash metal, and those wild Voivodish Crimson guitars.

Right from the first track “Obsoletion”, I felt that Voivod vibe, even in the lyrics about apocalyptic fears, technology taking control, and the terror of a potential nuclear disaster mixing with those dissonant riffs and open chord guitars. But Nuclear Tomb isn’t copying anyone. just using atmospheres and vibes. They take that old-school thrash and death metal and mix in fresh ideas, making it complex yet still aggressive.

The song “Dominance & Persecusion” caught me with that slow intro and the middle section; you think the song is going one way, but then they switch it up. That keeps it interesting! It’s not just fast and heavy; they know how to grab your attention.

Nuclear Tomb does a great job on this album; the guitar work is amazing with both the old school riffs and whammy solos, the vocals bear similarities with a young Chuck Schuldiner's style, the heavily distorted bass sounds great taking the lead in the rhythm section, and the drums are totally insane. What I want to say here is that Nuclear Tomb are really having fun while playing, and you can feel it.

I’m not saying that Terror Labyrinthian is perfect; it has some letdowns, but as an opera prima is an impressive example of originality. Nuclear Tomb isn’t trying to please anyone; they’re being true to themselves, and that’s what I respect. The old-school mix of death, thrash and progressive metal with modern ideas could be the start of something big for them.

Terror Labyrinthian's production isn't clean or super modern, and some might not like the vintage sound, but I love and am grateful for the untriggered drums and that raw distorted bass sound. The artwork from Lucas Korte is great too; it’s chaotic, with light colors and weird images, fitting the music perfectly. We need more bands who dare to be original and impervious to the critics. If you find something special here, check it out, it won’t disappoint.