Monday 17 December 2012

Tombstones - Year of the Burial (Album Review)

By: John Slaymaker

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released:  20/04/2012
Label: Soulseller Records






















The ‘Year of the Burial’ is an excellent sludge/doom album with its thick warm live sound. Though it might only swagger up the road at 20mph like a 3am drunken quest for more beer, it is most likely gonna be one of the most valued sludge/doom records this year.

‘Year of the Burial’ CD//DD//LP tracklisting

1) Unveilng (6:40)
2) Silent Voices (4:33)
3) Quinessential (7:15)
4) Egypt (7:57)
5) Year of the Burial (7:06)
6) Sabbathian (6:02)

Tombstones is:

Bjorn Viggo Godtland | Vocal, guitar
Ole Christian Helstad | Bass, vocals
Jorn Inge Woldmo | Drums

The Review

‘Unveiling’ is a good and steady introduction to the record from this band. A nice mix of stoner/doom dishing out thick sludged up riffs that you’d need a diamond equipped chainsaw to cut into. The pace of this song is that of walking and when it ends you don’t realise as the sonic wave of persistence continues into the next song. ‘Silent Voices’ the shortest track clocking in at four and a half minutes.   It’s not until the drums come in and change the structure, do you realise a new song has begun. With Bjorn and Ole’s bellowing vocals trying to climb above the pounding sludge that ooze’s from my speakers, I cannot get over the thick velvety textures of the guitars. The hardest treacle toffee sounding sludge I’ve heard in a while.

‘The Quintessential’ carries the same theme but at over seven minutes I can’t stifle a yearning for a guitar solo. Track 4 ‘Egypt’ is, I think, the best song on the ‘Year of the Burial’. It has a cool catchy riff from the start and they utilise light and shade to best effect.  The title track leads us on a bit of a drone mission for two minutes then you get treated to some druid like vocal chanting mixed up with some wicked head bang inducing riffing, and I reckon this song goes down a storm live.

The ‘Year of the Burial’ is an excellent sludge/doom album with its thick warm live sound. Though it might only swagger up the road at 20mph like a 3am drunken quest for more beer, it is most likely gonna be one of the most valued sludge/doom records this year.


You can buy the vinyl and CD here



Band info: Facebook