TOMBSTONED may have the perfect Stoner Metal name, it combines death and drugs in a witty little double entendre. It's pretty smart for a brain dead genre but the brilliance peaks there. Hailing from scenic Finland, the three piece is just getting to their first full-length player after having previously released some demos and an EP a few years back.

The guitar work is crushing, on par with many of the newer stoner bands coming of age this year. It's certainly nothing new but, honestly, that is the point. Instead the pounding rhythm of "Through the Days" sounds like a deep cut from "Granicus" or some other forgotten seventies boogie master. You can imagine the kids in the crowd going proper nuts for this one, converse in the air and a whirlwind of hair.

"Daze of Disintegration" burns like a California brush fire; barely noticed to start then festering into a chaotic storm of violence. Jussi has BLACK SABBATH style riffing down to a science here, creating a lost track from Vol. Four. The only thing missing is an Ozzy vocal harmony. That is the one big thing dragging TOMBSTONED down throughout this release, the elephant in the room. The vocals do not match the music; they creep along unpolished and sounding out of place, better fit for a Sabbath cover band in a suburban pub. If Jussi could somehow own his voice the way he does his guitar, TOMBSTONED would be something major.

The rhythm section of Olavi and Akke turn it up on "Rat Race" and the grief stricken "Faded", crushing home a serenade of doom perfection. "Last Waltz" is almost a forgotten exit saved only by the excellent riffing of Jussi and the joint in your hand.