TodoMal was formed in 2020 by two veteran musicians from the Spanish metal scene, and while their other bands had spanned a wide range of metal styles the goal here was to write a more expansive and atmospheric type of doom that took influence from progressive and space rock. The group’s debut full length Ultracrepidarian kept things rooted in traditional doom while hinting at some of these additional genres, while follow-up A Greater Good re-framed things through a noticeably bleaker tone. This year’s Graveyards of Joy serves as the conclusion of a trilogy that spanned those previous efforts, and it represents the most significant shift in their sound to date. While some of the doom remains, there is a more noticeable emphasis on progressive and alternative elements that shake things up from song to song and give TodoMal some of their most stunning climaxes to date.
It’s clear from opener “Mare Ignis” how the band has pushed their sound outwards, as while the tempo retains the slow, methodical pacing of doom, there are textures that give off equal amounts of desert rock and progressive rock elements. Early on the soundscape has this spaghetti western meets gothic doom feel to it, but as the song builds and expands things sound a lot more prog in the way the composition twists and turns. While the past two albums had their fair share of entrancing peaks, Graveyards of Joy comes through as a bolder and fuller sounding effort where the climaxes are truly powerful. How TodoMal gets there varies a bit more from track to track compared to before, as sometimes they double down on the heaviness and more doom adjacent instrumentation while other moments let the keyboards and airier guitar work steal the show in ways that have a bit more of an alternative rock flair. Sometimes the melodies give off a bit of Pink Floyd, while songs like “Humanised Gods” remind me of the path Klone has taken in recent years, but TodoMal takes these influences and twists them in ways that retain their own identity. What really works to this album’s advantage is how strong the hooks are, as even softer interludes like “Miserichordiah” stick with you as the warm yet somber atmosphere washes over your speakers. Later Anathema also feels like an appropriate comparison to what the band is doing here, as the emotive build-ups and sprawl is similar but the textures on Graveyards of Joy differentiate it.
Both Wildman and Mile contribute vocals to the album, and this is another area where the group sets themselves apart from some of the other atmospherically oriented doom out there. Rather than going for growls or the usual gothic-tinged pitches, here the singing soars over the recording and has more of a progressive and alternative flair. The fullness of the singing has drawn me in again and again, as there’s a sense of profound sadness to the performance yet it has bright spots on certain tracks. When the music takes a step back and goes for more subtle acoustics on “Miserichordiah” and “For Mercy” Wildman has a cadence and pitch that reminds me of David Eugene Edwards, with things giving off hints of other progressive rock singers on other parts of the album. TodoMal has also enlisted Maud the Moth’s Cecilia Tallo and Teodora Gosheva on guest vocals throughout Graveyards of Joy, which gives additional depth to the performance.
Where their first two albums embraced the spacey, alternative, and progressive elements as additional flourishes while keeping things rooted in doom, Graveyards of Joy feels like the biggest push into these styles yet. There is still plenty of somber and weightier doom on the album, but the huge, soaring melodies and way the songs unfold transforms them in ways that are exciting to listen to. It’s the type of album that consistently has you engaged from beginning to end, and if you want material that tugs at your emotions similar to later Anathema or Klone this is a must listen. Graveyards of Joyis available from Season of Mist.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg