As our world continues to dive further into the depths of pure insanity, what better band to soundtrack mankind’s descent than Nuclear Tomb? The Michael Brown-helmed band first crossed our radar in 2024, upon the release of their debut album, Terror Labyrinthian. In what was a banner year for the niche subgenre of technical death/thrash, Nuclear Tomb stood toe to toe with the best of the best, scrambling the psyches of headbangers young and old with their own unique take on Voivodian tinged death metal. The album was fast and ferocious, hitting all the right spots, like a lost, late ’80s extreme metal relic. Its follow up, Epoch Inhumane, is even faster and, uh, ferocious-er.
Like Terror before it, Epoch is rife with merciless death-thrashers and weirdo art metal freakouts alike. Also like Terror before it, the two sonic approaches don’t often cross paths, making this somewhat a tale of two albums. With this in mind, however, the death-thrashers are executed with even stronger intensity than before, while the artsy moments double down on an avant-garde, anything goes ethos, unafraid of offending so-called purists along the way. Despite its runtime of 10 songs and just a little over 36 minutes, there’s no telling whatsoever where Epoch Inhumane is headed, which makes it all the more exciting of a release.
While the Voivod influence is clear as day throughout (What prog/technical metal act HASN’T been influenced by those Canadian saboteurs?), it seems largely that Nuclear Tomb has drawn inspiration from the Nothingface (1989) and Angel Rat (1991) playbook for this one. Art metal outbursts like “Unbowed & Averse”, “Broken Promise, Barren Essence”, and “The Coward’s Curse” boast the same psychedelic meanderings and schizophrenic dread as the “Tribal Convictions” legends at their most creatively impactful. They also serve as palette cleanses (though that’s a loose definition here) amidst the album’s deadliest moments, which we’re going to tackle now.
Yes, I see you, pizza thrasher NPC in your tattered battlejacket and Toxic Holocaust hat, longing for the days when Warbringer were whippersnappers and Slayer tickets didn’t cost a left lung. “Me no want art! Me want thrash!” You got it! Look folks, I’m a sucker for even run of the mill late ’80s death/thrash worship. When the riffs, rhythms, and overall brutality are as top shelf as this, you’ll catch me headbanging to the point where my head is ready to pop off my neck! Ragers like “Watch the Skies”, “Lifeless Termination”, and “Terminally Emboldened” would fit in on a mixtape alongside the likes of Sadus, Pestilence, and Sepultura, tapping that same vein of pure thrashing savagery.
Anything but a sophomore slump, Epoch Inhumane sees Nuclear Tomb laying utter waste once again with an album so radioactive that one might be entitled to legal compensation for its drastic effects on the mind and body. Assuming there still is a planet earth in a couple years time, I could only imagine what lies in store for a hypothetical third NT album, but will not exhaust my mental muscles by attempting to do so. After all, I’ve got reviews to write, and this album has utterly decimated the few half-decent brain cells I have (or rather had) left.
8 out of 10
Label: Rotted Life Records
Genre: Technical Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Voivod, Atheist, Sadus
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