Description

Digipak

Norways Tombstones don’t do things by halves- despite this album only having six tracks. Monolithic, dark, overdriven and very weighty; that is the most succinct summing up of their 2013 full length that I can muster. For those of you who enjoy Electric Wizard, loved Ramesses and got into 11 Paranoias- this record will please you immensely. The sound is raw and live-ish and is at the same time warm and a little abrasive. Red Moon kicks things off with hypnotic grooves and a very Sabbath change after a couple of minutes! The vocals are mixed back and drenched in reverb- it suits the sound well- so the grooves can come into their own, King of Daze picks up the pace a little (that bass tone!) and takes us into a kind of Monster Magnet groove before slowing down for a little lead work that mellows out the listener prior to the vocals kicking in- a little higher in the mix this time. The groove is thick and the vibe is almost bluesy; very cool. Obstfelder presents a rather sinister ten minutes of dark grooves while The Other Eye starts with a pace that is positively crawling. It sets up an hypnotic feel with a thick riff before moving into creepier territory for the verse sections. Red Skies and Dead Eyes presents a faster paced approach and the production is still raw and reverb drenched. Multi layered vocals work well here and add variety to the sound. Demon Cave lumbers out of the speakers with head nodding pacing and some light and shade inherent in the riffing. The overall effect is still that of darkness, but not in a completely bleak way. Overall, then, the album is hypnotic and dark but with interesting production aspects and dynamics here and there to hold the listener’s attention. It’s good, heavy stuff and if you like any of the three bands mentioned in the opening paragraph, don’t hesitate to pick up this Scandinavian addition to the stoner/doom canon.

Track list:
1. Black Moon
2. King Of Daze
3. Obstfelder
4. The Other Eye
5. Red Skies And Dead Eyes
6. Demon Cave