ALBUM REVIEW: Tombstoned - "II"

By Theron Moore

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/04/2016

Label: Svart Records

Tombstoned works.  It’s unlike anything I’ve heard in a while but it’s catchy and it’ll stick in your head.  It’s doom but a different kind of doom I’m used to listening to.  Give it a listen, I think you’ll enjoy it.

“II” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Pretending to Live
2. Brainwashed Since Birth
3. Time Travels
4. And I Told You
5. Haven’t We Seen All This Before
6. You Can Always Close Your Eyes
7. Remedies

The Review:

I’ll be honest with you.  I had to listen to this record several times to really get the feel for this band.  Musically I like what they’re delivering.  But the vocals I couldn’t figure out.  As strange as it may seem I heard influences like The Cure as well as Trouble, Candlemass and Cirith Ungol coming through.  I couldn’t figure out if I liked the vox on this record or not but they finally grew on me.  I think Tombstoned is best described as early 80’s straight doom, straight fuzz. 

“Brainwashed Since Birth” should’ve been the record’s opening track but I’m not complaining, I dug the vibe of “Pretending to Live” which sounds like a fusion between 80’s era Cure and the band Trouble.  Weird, right?  But it works. 

Tombstoned aren’t heavy in the same vein as Holy Serpent, or Sleepor Cathedralbut more in line with, say, Trouble meets The Cure meets Candlemass.  Clear as mud?  But it works.  “Time Travels,” track three, picks up where “Brainwashed Since Birth” left off and continues this journey of cosmic strangeness.  Track four, “And I Told You,” is a cool little gem of heavy Cirith Ungol inspired madness.  That’s where the aforementioned early 80’s doom inspiration was kinda apparent. 

One of the best songs on this record is “Haven’t We Seen All This Before” that features, of all things, a Smashing Pumpkins inspired guitar groove combined with a traditional Trouble inspired doom breakdown.  But, damn if it doesn’t jam.   Look, without going into the rest of the songs I can tell you this.  Tombstonedworks.  It’s unlike anything I’ve heard in a while but it’s catchy and it’ll stick in your head.  It’s doom but a different kind of doom I’m used to listening to.  Give it a listen, I think you’ll enjoy it.

“II”is available here

Band info: facebook