Todomal – Graveyards Of Joy
Todomal – Graveyards Of Joy
Season Of Mist
Release date: 03/07/26
Review by Oli Gonzalez
9/10
When we think of doom metal, who springs to mind first? Maybe Candlemass emerging from the deepest darkest corner of Scandinavia, or Ahab surfacing from the murky oceans of Germany. You wouldn’t really think of sunny old Spain as being the source of one of metal’s bleakest sub genres, with its glorious climate and lifestyle that’s the envy of many people the world over. Yet here we are, with Spain’s Todomal being next under the microscope and part of Season Of Mist’s seemingly endless stream of talent. Having formed during the global shutdown of 2020, Spanish speakers amongst us will see a little pun in the name also:
Todo = all
Mal = bad
Cliches and terrible puns are running rampant now. Just like Todomal seems to be running rampant in 2026! Their name is appearing on the lineups for Dark Easter Metal Meeting, Tolminator, Resurrection, and many others on the European festival circuit for 2026. All tied in with the release of “Graveyards Of Joy”.
Well, “Graveyards Of Joy” wasn’t what I was expecting. Todomal wasn’t what I was expecting. But I mean this in the best way possible!
See, doom metal is full of cliches, whether it’s the lengthy and seemingly never-ending chord progressions and an absolute visceral opposition to play anything over 60 beats per minute! See, with Todomal, you get something that’s just as much a breath of fresh air as it is an invigorating new stimulus! Take the opening track ‘Mare Ignis’ for instance. Whilst the guitars are distorted and pack a punch, they feel neither suffocating nor overwhelming. When supported by the melodic impetus and extra dimension provided by the keys, the end result is something that feels more aesthetically pleasing and inviting than what the genre would necessarily dictate.
‘Lucid Nightmare’ follows and lead vocalist Christopher demonstrates a rich, soaring, and theatrical flavour to his voice, much in the style of Dream Theater’s James LaBrie. He is backed up elegantly by Cecilia’s vocals from behind the keys, not just on this song but on the entire album. In fact, the whole of the music has a progressive tint, again much like Dream Theater, but played much slower and with a more melancholic edge. A theme that continues throughout the album!
When you think of Spain, you often think of the flamenco guitars and the iconic warm tones radiating from the otherwise lifeless bodies of wood. ‘Misericordiah’ demonstrates how this instrument can be incorporated into the genre, and combined with the emotionally potent deployment of the violin, this has the capacity to really tug on your heartstrings if you let it! The acoustic guitars make an appearance once again in ‘Deliverance’, whilst ‘For Mercy’ has an impossible to miss flamenco rhythm flowing through its veins. Todomal could really be onto something if they utilise this more on future releases, making them truly stand out.
Also, pretty much every doom metal song has to be north of 10 minutes, or it’s not ‘real’ doom, right? RIGHT? Maybe a little exaggeration, though again Todomal go against the genre and often opt to keep their compositions in manageable bite-sized chunks, with many hovering around the 4-minute mark.
This ties nicely into the final point and summary of “Graveyards Of Joy”. This isn’t what you’re going to expect from a typical doom metal album. Todomal have defiantly rewrote the rule book and are here to play by their own rules!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Mare Ignis
02. Lucid Nightmare
03. Point of Coalescence
04. Misericordiah
05. Unholy
06. Deliverance
07. Humanised Gods
08. For Mercy
09. Graveyards of Joy
LINKS:
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