Tombstalker - Age Of Darkness EP

Labels: Boris Records/Morbid Aggressor Productions

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 29 May 2023

Tracklist:

1. Astral Combat

2. Titan Warlord

3. Age Of Darkness

4. The Final Night

Things have been a little quiet over the last week, mainly due to work life getting busy. Thankfully the long weekend allows for some breathing space (but not much), so I can finally get back to it. At the end of this month US thrash/death band Tombstalker will release their latest EP Age Of Darkness, via both Boris Records and Morbid Aggressor Productions. It's their first release in about six years and will help to mark their fifteenth anniversary as a band.

Age Of Darkness is filled with boundless energy straight from the off. ‘Astral Combat’ opens things up with the right mix of rawness from the intense vocals and catchy, assured instrumentation. Tombstalker’s experience really shows here with the quality of their performance, especially during the extended instrumental passages later on in the song.

‘Titan Warlord’ appears to be more straightforward thrash/death on early listening; however, it isn’t long before Tombstalker’s more progressive tendencies take over again. I use that term loosely here, as they don’t go full-on Cynic/Atheist or anything, but there definitely is a melodic and creative side to their music. The solo that helps to close ‘Titan Warlord’ is amongst the best you’ll hear all year too.

The EP’s title track ‘Age Of Darkness’ is a delightful acoustic instrumental that harks back to similar ones that were performed by some of thrash metal’s true titans of old (Death Angel is the first name that springs to mind here for me and obviously S&M era-Metallica).

EP closer ‘Final Night’ sees Tombstalker rejoicing in their destructive heaviness one last time. There’s a real authenticity to the music on here and with the current explosion of death metal in all it’s variations right now, Tombstalker should be right up there with the best.

You can stream 'Astral Combat' in advance of the full EP release via Boris Records below:-

You can also pre-order Age Of Darkness on vinyl, tape and digital formats via Boris's bandcamp page above.

I can't locate any links to Morbid Aggressor Productions. If anybody knows of any, please send them my way and I'll update the review.

Tombstalker - https://www.facebook.com/tombstalkerband

Boris Records - https://www.facebook.com/borisrecordsatl