Tom Gekas of Erkrath, Germany is rapidly becoming one of the hardest working acts under the banner of Extreme Metal. While the primary focus is obviously Black Metal, Gekas pulls in aspects of Death Metal, Sludge, DSBM, Goth, and even touches of Garage/Fuzz. Following Tom Gekas’ discography, it is not only growth in playing talent and songwriting that is heard, but a constant building in proportion of the sound. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The Atmospheric Black Metal elements very precisely tied into the sludgy, punch of Death Metal and guttural, growling vocals make for such an interesting combination. It shows that the blending of genres/subgenres is becoming so prevalent that hard lines of separation are being scrubbed away. For some, the style being created by Gekas may lean too far onto Death Metal, and for others too far into Black Metal. And even further, some may be turned away by the production quality. As compared to other recordings within the realm of Black Metal, Tom Gekas has superb sound engineering and overall sound quality. This will dismay some of the die hard Black Metal fans, who feel that anything resembling the genre needs to be recorded on tape and via a single microphone hanging from the ceiling.
Stillborn is the most recent, and 13th non-single, non-split release from Tom Gekas. The evolution in Gekas’s sound is ever changing and growing. Stillborn as a whole is dark and dismal, yet powerful and big. The album art incorporates both primary styles (Death and Black Metal) in as much balance as the music it accompanies. The absence of color and the scratchy art style causes study of the gruesome content.
The title track “Stillborn” opens the album. The tremolo picking is an instant attention grabber. The steady percussion with the rapid guitar playing is such an exceptional partnership. For “Abortions of God” a more traditional approach is used. The drums are right in time with the guitar, which is sure to cause some neck pain from following along. “Abortions of God” is definitely one of the more brutal offerings from Gekas to date. Following that is the third installment of a series that started with the first release, Evig Mørke. “Evig Mørke III” slows things down a bit. The atmospheric builds conjure deep woods, and a strong, lingering darkness. Much like the first two in this series of haunting instrumentals, it is easy to find one’s self lost among the melancholy vastness.
“Hate Crime” combines the sludginess of Doom, with the slow burn of Old-School Death Metal, and the raw distorted tone of classic Black Metal. This is one that could be a little longer of a song and push it above the 5-6 minute mark without becoming mundane. “Old” features a guest performance by Benjamin Becker, and the change in vocal style is immediately noticed. “Old” is an absolute ripper that ticks a lot of classic Black Metal boxes. The lead guitar playing has a symphonic quality that brings back what has already been said, this album just feels massive.
Tom Gekas is an incredible guitar player. “Human Disgust” is absolute proof of that fact. This is another one that sucks you in and holds on tight. The blast beats are strong(and could probably use a fill here and there to break it up a little), but give way to a rhythm that gives a whole new life to the animal that is “Human Disgust”. “Medication II”, another sequel in a series of songs, is of epic proportions. Just under 11 minutes long, “Medication II” builds and flows with ease. It doesn’t feel like it is as long as it is, due to tempo and tone changes within that keep things interesting.
“Solitude” brings back that killer metal guitar playing that just ensnares the listener. It violently commands attention as it blasts right into the chest. The closeout bell tolls at first seem out of place, despite matching tone and rhythm, but end the song and album in a fittingly somber fashion.
After Stillborn is officially over, we are treated to the previously released as a single bonus song, “Jacob’s Ladder”. This song features some of the most off the wall styles for Gekas. There are Thrash riffs, clean vocals (mixed in with his go-to gutterals), and creamy lead guitar playing. “Jacob’s Ladder” shows a whole new range we can expect from Tom Gekas. An entire album in this style would be incredible.
Stillborn is an album with a hard-fought completion, and a whole lot of dedication from the solo artist Tom Gekas. Having done everything from writing (with some guest help – “Stillborn” and Solitude” lyrics written by Giorgis Xi of Vintermorke, and guest vocalist on “Old”, Benjamin Becker also wrote its lyrics), performing, recording, mixing and mastering himself, Gekas is proof that a DIY artist can produce something as huge as a major label. He is definitely one to follow, whether for his musical talents, or even just his production ability. Any fan of non-traditional Black Metal, darker Extreme Metal, and evolving Death Metal need to have Tom Gekas in rotation. Stillborn is out now for download on Bandcamp, and streaming on all major platforms.