ABOUT

Brief bio

Mothertomb is an emerging Doom Metal band from the rural woods of Northern Michigan. Conjuring crushing riffs with a dark, ethereal resonance, Mothertomb’s haunting and hypnotic sound channels influence from various genres, including doom, psychedelic, stoner, progressive, and classic rock/metal. For fans of: Windhand, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Candlemass, and Acid King.

Extended bio

Originally meeting in 2023 and discovering a mutual passion for playing heavy music, Chance Gawlinski (guitar) and Mike Benitez (percussion) decided to jam on a whim. Growing up on classic rock radio and inspired from the screeching hard-rock guitars of Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent, and Grand Funk Railroad, fused with the slow, heavy tones of Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and Type O Negative, helped serve as the foundation for Chance's style and approach to riffing and songwriting. This traditional doom / heavy blues guitar style combined with Mike's progressive metal background, drawing percussion influences from Tool, Between the Buried and Me, and System of A Down, brought a unique and unconventional dynamic to the presence and power within the songs; not being afraid to step out of the box and challenge the norm of what drumming in this specific genre can be. 

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Feeling inspired and motivated from the musical chemistry, that single jam session would then lead to consistent, weekly jam sessions for the next year. Eventually, this would manifest the addition of Welsh-native, Alice Gawlinski (vocals), bringing her diverse vocal range of sensual, melodic, and baritone drones, to commanding snarls, and even aggressive gutturals. Alice draws vocal inspiration from the likes of Pentagram, Candlemass, Mazzy Star, and Obituary. Lastly, the final and most crucial addition to the band came in the form of the thunderous low end of Alton Minor (bass/engineer). Drawing from a similar background in doom/stoner/progressive metal and citing primary influences from Deftones, A Perfect Circle, and Queens of the Stoned Age, Alton's eclectic and intuitive approach to bass provided the final piece of the puzzle. With the right people and talent in place, this manifestation would become fully self-actualized in 2025 as Mothertomb.  

Why "Mothertomb"? Although the band had been together for the better part of the year, we still struggled in finding our name to identify our sound and image. In April 2025, Northern Michigan was hit with one of the worst ice storms recorded in the last 100 years — so much so, that it destroyed all power grids in the region and left 145,000 people (including us) without power in below freezing temperatures for several weeks, resulting in a national state of emergency. In witnessing this natural self-destruction of our forests, trees, and wildlife, we saw the polarization of beauty and despair intertwined and encased in inches of ice. It was both mystical and horrifying. It felt like Mother Nature had created her own tomb. And thus, with that thought came the name… Mothertomb - a duality of the light and dark that represents the human condition and inspires our sound.​

With a name established for their identity, Mothertomb independently recorded, mixed, mastered, and released their debut single, "Beware" in October 2025. Although being new to the scene, various press and online outlets in the Doom Metal / Doom Chart communities quickly took notice, praising the song for its creative combination of Doom/Stoner riffage mixed with Psychedelic and Goth Rock atmosphere. The song quickly gained strong, organic traction leaving new fans asking for more. ​Following up on "Beware", and to help further promote their upcoming debut album, Mothertomb released its second single, "Mountain Hag" in January 2026. While still maintaining their signature Doom/Stoner Metal sound, "Mountain Hag" also pushed the band into another territory, exploring and celebrating their deep appreciation for prog through various time signatures, tempo changes, and concept-driven lyrics, resulting in a nearly 10-minute epic. Although there was a major leap in its musical direction compared to "Beware", "Mountain Hag" was equally welcomed and embraced by fans. ​

Taking pride in being a 100% DIY band, Mothertomb works as an equal collective to write, record, and produce their own music. With a background in sound engineering, their bassist, Alton Minor, handles the mixing and mastering. With a background in freelance artistry, their vocalist, Alice Gawlinski, creates all the artwork, logos, and social media content for the band. Mothertomb is currently focusing on the completion of their debut album slated for a Spring 2026 release and are already booking for shows to support the album. Among the shows currently booked to support the album includes opening for the almighty PENTAGRAM on 05/30/26 in Cadillac, MI; as well as the Midwest Doom Coalition sponsored event, "Grand Rapids Doomfest Presents", featuring Mothertomb alongside Solar Monolith, Bog Wizard, and Temple of the Fuzz Witch on 07/17/26.