A few questions - interview with death metal band from Italy - TOMBAL.
Answered Luigi Cara (vocals, guitars), thank you!
Ave, can you introduce your band to our readers? – When was it founded and what style of music do you play etc.?
Hi! Tombal is a death metal band made up of four friends with a shared passion for extreme music, especially 90s Swedish death metal. In August 2025 I finally decided to form a band dedicated to that sound. I always loved the HM-2 tone and bands like Dismember, Entombed, Grave, Unleashed, and Interment. Years ago I had already spoken with Massimiliano (our bassist) after listening together to Scent of the Buried by Interment, about the almost dream-like idea of forming a swedeath band. After many years, I finally made it happen (hehehe). I then spoke with Luca, a very young and talented drummer and a brother to me, who immediately joined the project with enthusiasm. After that, I spoke with Massimiliano and he was fully on board as well, and that’s how TOMBAL was born. I chose this name because I don't think there's a better name to describe our style and the music we play. I composed our first single "Grave of the Damned" , which was released via Death Madness on YouTube and received a great response. We then recorded the EP of the same name. After that, I invited Mario to join the band as the second chainsaw guitar, and he accepted immediately. Now we are four, more united and motivated than ever.
Where and under what conditions were you recording the new album? Who was in charge of sound, production and mastering?
Two of us are based in Sardinia, while Luca lives in Basilicata and Massimiliano is in Dublin, so everything was done remotely. Luca recorded the drums, while the rest of us recorded everything in Sardinia. The material was then sent to Andy Mornar in London, who handled the mixing and mastering. We are extremely satisfied with the final result. We were aiming for a raw "in-your-face", violent and powerful sound, and he absolutely nailed it.
How many copies were released and which medium was used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)?
So, the EP was released on tape by Unholy Domain, who pressed 100 copies, while Blood Harvest handled the CD edition with a limited run of 300 copies. With Blood Harvest we also signed a deal for our first full-length album, which is expected to be released either at the end of this year or in early 2027.
Who is the author of the lyrics and how were they created and about what do the lyrics deal with?
I compose the lyrics myself, which are entirely focused on death, decay, darkness, and are mostly set in cemetery environments, where the sun never shines and post-mortem existence takes over. I really want to stay connected to the lyrical style of the 90s bands I mentioned earlier and keep that same attitude and writing approach that defined the swedeath scene.
Who created the logo of the band, and who took care of the graphics and the website? What about you and social networks? Do you consider these things important?
The band logo was created by Blssnd, while the artwork was made by Valeria Foddanu, both very talented artists from Sardinia. I also handle the social media, and together as a band we decided on the colors and all the rest. I believe social media is very useful for promotion and helps spread the music quickly, even if we are quite old-school and prefer direct contact with fans at shows, sharing a conversation while having a good, fresh beer with our friends and/or fans.
Which label did you choose for releasing your album and why this label? Are you satisfied by how your label represents you and takés care about you?
As I was saying before, we chose Blood Harvest Records because they showed strong interest in the band from the very beginning and immediately offered us a record deal, especially for the full-length,and we have big plans for the future. They are also working with other great releases like Dishumane, who are absolutely crushing, and their level of promotion and merch quality is extremely high.
Which bands do you idolise and where do you get your inspiration?
The bands we admire the most are bands like Dismember, Entombed, Interment; we are also huge Carnage and Unleashed fans, and we like Lik too. Apart from these we follow also the Italian death metal scene a lot; I see that death metal is still alive and well. Our inspiration comes from that Swedish scene, but in reality we simply play what comes naturally from within, following our instinct rather than trying to imitate anyone.
Did you send your record to some Labels - which are the labels? How was the response?
Yes, After releasing the single, several labels reached out to us, but we ultimately decided to sign with Blood Harvest, both because of their history and because I had followed them for years and always appreciated their releases and attitude. We also had to decline other very interesting offers from labels we deeply respect.
How many gigs have you played? Which type of gigs do you prefer, whether it's (clubs or festivals) and which of your performances would you consider as the best?
The band was formed very recently, and we immediately focused on recording the EP and writing the full-length, which is practically ready. We already had a rehearsal, which went great, and we already have confirmed shows for this winter as well as for 2027. We are also working on a European tour with our management Occult Booking in order to support the full-lenght release, alongside appearances at major European festivals. We are very excited about this and can’t wait to play live. We enjoy both club shows and open-air festivals, so we hope to perform everywhere possible.
What about your plans for the future? What do you want to achieve with the band?
Our plans for the future are to record the full-length as soon as possible and release it around December or January 2027, and to play live as much as we can. We just want to play the music we love with full passion and meet death metal fanatics like us around the world. We have no limits, and we are extremely happy with how the band has started and how things are going.
How and where can your fans contact you? Can you provide some contact information?
Our fans can contact us directly through our social media, and we always reply to everyone with pleasure. They can also reach us via email at tombal.official@gmail.com, and for booking or shows, our management can be contacted at andreaoccult@gmail.com.
Thanx for the interview.
Thank you very much for the interview and for the support, it has been a real pleasure! Especially since we have followed Deadly Storm for a long time. DEATH METAL IS ALIVE.
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