On their self-titled EP, Brooklyn's Tombs prove to be quite adept at brooding, shoegazey, metallic hardcore bombast. While the EP sometimes carries a little bit of noisy flair, more often than not the band come off like the bastard child of Swans and Neurosis, producing a bold, blackened sound that wouldn't be out of place on the Hydra Head roster.

Tombs starts out in peak fashion, with the big and chunky yet haunting and atmospheric riffs of guitarist Mike Hill (of Anodyne and Versoma) pulling the listener directly into the fold; Hill takes the vocal charge with his growling demeanor as well. Overall, "Fountain of the World 666" is a splendid opener and possibly Tombs' best track here.

Hill knows when to properly adjust his delivery to fit the tunes, too. He serves up a fairly diverse performance in "Course of Empire," where he transitions from slow, frustrated snarling to strained screams á la the frontmen of mid-`80s noise hardcore (Flipper, Black Flag), or his coarse whispers in the minimal beginning of "Marina." Nearly all the while, the rhythm section spills forth in a dirty dirge and the guitars continue to moan and yawn over the sound-scape.

At 7 songs and 26 minutes, Tombs' first half is infinitely more interesting than its second, with the band's best moments seeming to come early on. However, they've clearly conveyed a dark and ugly wall of sound here that's dauntless and, at times, very compelling.

M4As
Course of Empire
Darker Than Your Nights