Limerick metal band Tooms release new ‘slippery’ EP

LIMERICK sludge metal stalwarts Tooms have released their latest EP titled The Shmeckoning, and will play a release show in Pharmacia on May 14.

Tooms was established in 2017 after the trio met while studying in the Limerick School of Art and Design.

The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Alex Hölzinger, bassist Anto Donnellan, and drummer and backing vocalist Kieran Grace.

With the new EP, Tooms aimed to release an effective, albeit well-crafted piece of music.

“It was fairly meat and potatoes,” said Anto.

“We wanted to make it as lean as possible. It was an exercise in refinement. They were the punchiest songs we could write,” added Alex. The Shmeckoning consists of three fiery songs of varying themes.

With Anvil Crawler, a story is told about the death of a motorcyclist by lightning. The song begins with a motorcycle engine audio sample, which Alex himself recorded from his own motorcycle.

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Championed on Stabbed In The Head is Phineas Gage, a 19th century foreman who received a severe head injury in a construction accident but lived on for 12 years after.

“People say he went crazy after his injury, but it’s not true at all. The song is about bringing light to the fact that he was actually sound,” outlined Alex.

Closing the EP is Megalobong 2 (The Great Whitey Shark) which stands out for its unyielding heaviness, especially in its breakdown outro.

Tooms coined the term “slippery metal” for their fusion genre of sludge metal that draws from death and doom metal, progressive and acid rock, and hardcore punk.

The Shmeckoning is available for online streaming and for digital or physical purchase on bandcamp.com

Tooms headline the upcoming show in Pharmacia, Sarsfield Street, and are supported by Zhi Ren and Skellig.
Tickets on eventbrite.ie