Fuming Mouth - Beyond the Tomb EP

Masters? More like journeymen. 

(Originally submitted on the Metal Archives on December 24th 2020) 

Following 2019's explosive The Grand Descent, Fuming Mouth got signed to Nuclear Blast and released their new EP, Beyond the Tomb. Here the band tries expanding on some of the ideas on their debut, while also attempting to inject some new elements to their music, to mixed results.
The release starts with the title track, which is the weakest song on offer. Fuming Mouth is attempting to inject some melodic characteristics to their music with the lead work and the chorus riff. While the song isn't terrible, those elements weaken the impact of the song, and could definitely be further improved or better implemented. That being said the song does still have those high impact riffs Fuming Mouth is known for, like the one at 1:15 and the breakdown that follows it immediately after.   
               
Thankfully the other 2 tracks fare much better in terms of quality. "Master of Extremity'' feels like an expansion of the ideas on the debut, thanks to the longer song structures that were mostly absent back then. The song is filled with quality riffs and leads that make it stand head and shoulders above the other 2. A definite highlight is the frenetic solo at 1:19 that leads into a massive breakdown with a nice lead underpinning it.   

Lastly we have "Road to Odessa", a more atmospheric offering than the tracks that precede it. Maintaining a creeping tempo throughout its duration, the song builds up steadily throughout its duration, with mostly mid-tempo and slow riffs, culminating in a massive breakdown at 2:22, making for a great ending to this release.           

The lyrics here, while not particularly interesting (just talking about rising from the grave and killing), have a very varied delivery, courtesy of Mark Whelan. The man has a very varied approach to his delivery, utilising techniques from a hardcore back, to the raspy scream that was dominant throughout The Grand Descent, as well as some low gutturals. His commanding presence is one of the EPs strongest points, second only to the riffs.   

The production on this EP is surprisingly competent, with the band avoiding the Nuclear Blast treatment for the most part. Instruments are loud and clear, with the guitars in particular having this gnarly buzzsaw tone, which is further sustained by the grimy and rumbly bass. The one small nitpick I have is that it’s somewhat lacking in dynamics, with things sounding a bit brickwalled.
Beyond the Tomb shows us the band trying to expand on its sound, to mixed results. There is definite room for improvement that I’d like to see realised in the future. That being said, this EP is definitely worth giving a listen to if you’re into hardcore-infused death metal.
                   
Highlight: Master of Extremity 

Rating:78%

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