Tómarúm announce new album and share lead single

Atlanta, GA progressive blackened metal band TÓMARÚM has announced their upcoming sophomore album, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria, set for release on April 4 via Prosthetic Records. Alongside the album announcement, the band are currently premiering the lead single, Shed This Erroneous Skin, via Decibel. Where debut album, Ash in Realms of Stone Icons, served as a prologue in the band’s continuing narrative thread, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria marks the beginning proper of TÓMARÚM’s story.

Speaking on the premiere, Kyle Walburn (guitars, vocals, programming) comments: 

“We are elated to unveil Beyond Obsidian Euphoria, the second chapter in the continuously unfolding story that is TÓMARÚM. This record is a 70-minute conceptual journey of fiery passion and triumph, an ascent to uncharted peaks in our endless search for purpose, solace, and healing. Beyond Obsidian Euphoria, life begins anew. Standing strong as stone, yet forever aware of the ash from which it was molded…”

“What better way to introduce Beyond Obsidian Euphoria than with my favorite TÓMARÚM song to date? Shed This Erroneous Skin is huge, uplifting, and anthemic: an exaltation of self, a promise of unwavering authenticity after a lifetime of hiding. Here I address a lifelong struggle with my identity as a gay man, after having grown up in the southern United States around a ton of homophobia. The acceptance and embrace of my true self was a massive turning point in the search for inner peace that shaped this record, and while the lyrics have a specific meaning to me I have written them generally enough that the listener may derive their own meaning.”

Three years on from their acclaimed debut album, Ash In Realms of Stone Icons, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria finds TÓMARÚM reaching out from the depths of depression and despair for transcendence and triumph on the other side of woe. Chronicling the narrator’s quest throughout nine songs, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria’s metaphorical title for the act of self-destruction also alludes to the pursuit of living a life beyond tragedy and defeat, with fantasy-inspired tales of Herculean strength and vulnerability at the forefront of Beyond Obsidian Euphoria’s odyssey.

Having solidified and expanded their line-up from a two-piece, with founding members Kyle Walburn and Brandon Iacovella at the helm, into a quintet in 2022, recent years have seen the band cohesively transition into a collaborative unit both on stage and in their songwriting process. Tours alongside Inferi, Dessiderium, and Cyborg Octopus, respectively, as well as separate stints with labelmates Dawn of Ouroboros and Volcandra, saw the Atlanta band develop a reverence among fans across the US and Canada for their work ethic and creative idiosyncrasies.

Keen to continue ever forward from their promising beginnings, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria was written and self-produced by TÓMARÚM throughout 2023 and 2024, and mixed and mastered by V. Santura (Triptykon, ex-Dark Fortress). On their second full-length offering, the band focused their efforts on crafting a fully self-contained statement of incandescent ambition, raw emotion and a focus on the complexities of the healing process from psychological difficulties.

TÓMARÚM’s light and shade dynamic is best exemplified on lead single Shed This Erroneous Skin, as Walburn, Iacovella and Matthew Longerbeam (guitar, vocals) weave intricate and gossamer, delicate guitar and vocal lines against a mercurial rhythm section of bassist Michael Sanders and drummer Chris Stropoli’s blast beats and lockstep flow, as blackened death metal passages weave seamlessly between progressive melodies and vocal harmonics. Elsewhere, Iacovella lends his voice to spoken word narration, tying together the nucleus of TÓMARÚM’s sonic palette on Shallow Ecstasy and Halcyon Memory: Dreamscapes Across the Blue, which explore bittersweet themes of somber existence and nostalgia as a double-edged sword, as well as the toweringly ambitious and defiant album peak The Final Pursuit of Light.

Beyond Obsidian Euphoria’s visual element is captivatingly tied together by Ukranian / Italian artist Mariya Popyk (aka Crnobogart), with the oil painting bringing a flair of fantasy and psychedelia to TÓMARÚM’s latest chapter. Graphic design and custom calligraphy were also provided by Woodcvtter Illustration.

Beyond Obsidian Euphoria tracklist:
1. In Search of the Triumph Beyond (Obsidian Overture…)
2. Introspection III
3. Shallow Ecstasy
4. Shed This Erroneous Skin
5. Blood Mirage
6. Halcyon Memory: Dreamscapes Across the Blue
7. Silver, Ashen Tears
8. The Final Pursuit of Light
9. Becoming the Stone Icon (Obsidian Reprise)

TÓMARÚM is:
Kyle Walburn – Guitar, Vocals, Programming
Brandon Iacovella – Guitar, Vocals, Programming, Contrabass, Narration
Matthew Longerbeam – Guitar, Vocals
Michael Sanders – Bass, Vocals
Chris Stropoli – Drums, Vocals, Programming, Sound Design