On the 31st of December 2024 Caverna Abismal Records reissued ARCHAIC TOMB’s first and only demo “Congregations For Ancient Rituals” with an added song from their only other release, a 2019 split with CRYPTWORM, making it basically a discography compilation. ARCHAIC TOMB was a Death Metal band from Portugal that split up in 2023 after the death of their longtime drummer Deimos. The material here consists of Death Metal that has a general feel of being mid tempo, even though the drumming consists of fast double kick drumming and the guitars playing mostly tremolo picked riffs, think of BOLT THROWER but without the groovy riffs, giving a more atmospheric feel to the music than anything else. The vocals also contribute to this with their whispery screams and strong reverb. Some of the more atonal tremolo riffs remind me of Romanian Death Metal act PUTRED, who also tend toward mid tempo songs with chromatic note progressions in their riffs. Then there are the riffs that seem modern next to the simple classic Death Metal riffs, such as the slower syncopated riff on the song ‘Vast Cursed Landscape’ or the dissonant chords on that same song. You might also hear a burst of speed here and there, they vary just enough to keep things interesting. Most songs don’t make use of any lead guitar work, but the last two songs do (a THORMENTHOR cover and the song on the split) and they’re quite competent. For that matter, the whole release sounds more than competent, but the band keeps it old school and nothing sounds overdone. I find it interesting that the band they covered is a Death Metal band from their own country from the early ’90s. Most bands these days seem to cover the classics, playing for you a song you probably already know so you can better relate to the band, but ARCHAIC TOMB chose to bring to your attention a band from their own scene that you might only now discover if you’re curious enough. I’d recommend this release to anyone who likes Death Metal bands that add just a bit of a Black Metal influence or the South American extreme Thrash Metal bands that added a little bit of both. www.facebook.com/archaictomb, www.facebook.com/cavernaabismalrec