On May 1, 2020, TOMBSTONER released their debut EP, "Descent to Madness." TOMBSTONER is a death metal band that was formed just last year (2019) in New York City by two sets of brothers. They blend everything from grindcore to thrash to hardcore into their old school death metal sound.

"Descent to Madness" is a death metal album that pays tribute to the metal that comes before it. Though the music sounds like all that it is inspired by, the sound is ultimately TOMBSTONER's own. Guitar riffs and solos are solid, not overly technical or shred heavy. The fast-paced drumming ties the album together. Both sets of brothers have one brother credited with vocals. The vocals on the album are a mix of yelling vocals and growls, which helps the band smash death metal with thrash and hardcore. While I definitely prefer growls over yelling, I can't deny the attitude of the punk and hardcore type of shouting vocals present on this album. Lastly, although the album may be inspired by old school death metal, the album is not plagued by production woes.

"Tombstoner" is the opening track to the album and introduces the mix of death metal, thrash, and grindcore found on the rest of the album. A classic slower death metal riff builds up to an all-out grindcore verse. The low end anchors the music firmly in death metal. In comparison, the next track, "Filth Hole," has a much quicker pace, owing to the frantic drumming throughout. The second half of the track also features a guitar solo and some distorted scraping to keep the track interesting.

The middle track "M.Y.F.B." (I think it stands for mind your fucking business) again has thrash and hardcore flavor with a death metal rumble. The verses and chorus are angry, owing to the speed and the yelling vocals. The spirit of "Guts" owes itself to the fast guitar riff and drumming as well as the simple but hostile vocals. In the latter half of this track, I hear a lot of influence from old school death metal, which shows itself in the head battering guitar riffs.

The titular "Descent to Madness" is the closing track. The short little violin intro (Don't worry, it's not melodic; it's like an old school horror movie clip.) leads to another brutal cross of hardcore and death metal. The guitar riff and vocal delivery of the chorus is heavy, but still groovy and catchy. The guitar work in the last minute of this track, at odds with the rest of this album, is almost melodic, though still heavy due to the drumming.

Overall, I recommend this album. There's something on this album for all fans of death metal, grindcore, and thrash metal. The hype surrounding this album is warranted. "Descent to Madness" is an awesome debut offering, full of energy. It makes me proud to be a New Yorker! Can't wait to hear a full album from these guys!