Blazing Tomb first hit the heavy music scene in 2022 via a self-titled EP. The Richmond, Virginia-based band's sound is certainly death metal, but it's made them popular amongst hardcore heads which isn't a surprise since they cite such influences as Cold as Life and 100 Demons.
Engineered, produced, and mixed at Soul Craft Audio by Jordan Faett (Mutually Assured Destruction, Killing Pace), and co-produced by Alex Young, Singles From the Tomb is the latest Blazing Tomb release, bring forth three new tracks to kick the year off:
With the EP up now on streaming outlets, No Echo invited Blazing Tomb to take part in our ongoing Our Biggest Influences series. As their list below reminds us. these guys truly love their DM and core roots.
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Bolt Thrower, Those Once Loyal (2005)
"If you're familiar with Bolt Thrower at all then it should be no surprise that they are my biggest influence for writing Blazing Tomb songs. The first time I really listened to them I was waiting for a flight and put on this album. 'At First Light' into 'Entrenched' hit me like a brick and I was instantly hooked.
"I've always enjoyed death metal but at the time, metallic hardcore and doom were my main preference for heavy music. Bolt Thrower fits that middle ground perfectly. Then comes 'The Killchain,' 'Those Once Loyal.' and 'Anti-Tank (Dead Armour)'... are you kidding me? It's the musical equivalent of a Churchill Tank rolling through a war-torn city blowing up Nazis.
"I love the earlier Bolt Thrower albums, but in my opinion, this is their best effort. The songwriting, production, mixing, guitar tone, vocals, its all perfect. When the guitarists are tremolo picking on the bottom string then slide up on the neck to the 12th and 13th frets, it's the coolest shit I've ever heard."
-Chris Miller (guitar)
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Merauder, Master Killer (1995)
"As far as metallic hardcore goes, to me, this album stands above them all. Finally hearing the story from Paris Mayhew (Cro-Mags, White Devil) about the process of producing Master Killer made me love it even more. It's hard as hell while also melodic. Great lyrics and hooks, with heavy breakdowns and a ton of catchy tremolo picking riffs. Plus, the Merauder chord. We use it all the time.
"I don't know if it's true, but I have a hard time believing that a big influence on their music wasn't Bolt Thrower. When we wrote our first EP, people reviewed it as a "death metal Merauder worhsip band," and that's fine with me.
"I wanted to write a palatable death metal record and after writing hardcore music for so long, there was no way I could stray away from the hold Master Killer has one me, and the bands they went on to influence. It's ingrained into my brain forever.
"Downpresser from California is also an honorable mention."
-Chris Miller (guitar)
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Dismember, Massive Killing Capacity (1995)
"While it would be hard to choose my favorite Swedish death metal record, Dismember’s Massive Killing Capacity always inspires me to write. The song arrangements are typical, but there are so many ambitious and unpredictable elements. Dissecting those songs gets my brain working in ways it usually doesn’t."
-Danny Prock (bass and guitar)
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Slayer, Reign In Blood (1986)
"I'm a huge fan of Slayer's Dave Lombardo and Shannon Lucas of The Black Dahlia Murder. The sheer relentless brutality of their drumming, which pushes the music to its extremities, coupled with their ability to sit back and groove, which allows the music to breathe, are what gave me the inspiration to write the drum parts featured on Singles From the Tomb."
-Nick Morris (drums)
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Exodus, Tempo of the Damned (2004)
"I always find it hard to describe my style and/or influences because it’s ever-changing and depends on who I’m studying at the moment. My biggest influences are George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot), Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society), and Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake), but when it comes to straight up metal: it's Exodus' Gary Holt.
"His solos are intense and borderline terrifying, and I love it. Tempo of the Damned is a killer showcase of why Gary is the king. PS: the Whammy pedal part in 'Visions From the Grey' is all Chris’ idea. It’s not something I would’ve thought to use even though it’s been on my pedalboard for years. That thing sounds wild!"
-Josh Fransisco (lead guitar)
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Bolt Thrower, Mercenary (1998)
"Bolt Thrower’s Mercenary is an incessant ride of perseverance and power reminding me every day to have my head on a swivel, middle fingers to the bullshit and to keep driving on. Perfect album front-to-back and a big influence on my lyrical patterns for Singles."
-Ethan Thomas (vocals)
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Singles From the Tomb is out now via Creator-Destructor Records (order the 7" here).
Blazing Tomb on social media: X | Instagram
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