The Finnish doom/stoner act known as Tombstoned dropped their debut bomb for Svart Records back in 2013, a solid slice of psychedelic doom very simply titled Tombstoned, and here they are 3 years later with II, featuring seven lengthy tunes that continue on with the style they formed on the debut. Band members Jussi (guitar/vocals), Olavi (bass), and Akke (drums) have clearly studied the great of the genre, such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Cathedral, Candlemass, and Pentagram, but as on the debut there are some psychedelic/space rock influences as well, which pop up from time to time and remind of the legendary Hawkwind.
Along with the slow, crushing riffs, a smattering of organ is added in spots to give things a creepy, slightly proggy feel, adding some extra depth to heavy tunes like "Pretending to Live", "Time Travels", and "Brainwashed Since Birth". "And I Told You" lumbers along with some delicious brontosaurus styled riffing in vintage doom fashion, and the pace picks up on the more upbeat "Haven't We Seen All This Before", complete with some thunderous riffs, wah-wah solos, and rumbling grooves. The band really drops in some serious fuzz on "You Can Always Close Your Eyes", and closer "Remedies" just crushes everything in its path, a punishing slice of doom with some of the albums heaviest riffs.
The one thing that sticks out a little on II are the lead vocals of Jussi; the press materials state that the band have tried to stray from the 'usual Sabbath-inspired drawl to one of a gloomier post-punk aspect', which certainly adds a different take to this style of music. I actually think it works out well once you get used to his style, but it might not be for everyone. Otherwise though, this is a splendid release of massive doom with bits of psychedelia & prog from a band that are well on their way to greatness.
Track Listing
01 Pretending to live
02 Brainwashed since birth
03 Time Travels
04 And I told you
05 Haven't we seen all this before
06 You can always close you eyes
07 Remedies
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