Feature / Upcoming Talent
Upcoming Talent #15 – The Tomb Tones

Words: Sarah Jane • March 25, 2024

Upcoming Talent #15 – The Tomb Tones
Upcoming Talent #15 – The Tomb Tones

Discography

Pumpkin Guts (October 2020)

  1. Party of Horror Beach (2.37)
  2. Monster Movie (2.56)
  3. My Girlfriend's a Zombie (3.26)
  4. Devil's Train of Death (3.27)
  5. Dracula's Brother (3.21)
  6. Ghost Story (3.55)
  7. Sick Sense (4.58)

Pumpkin Guts is The Tomb Tones debut EP/album, before this they had released a three track EP in late 2017 and a double feature single in 2018 but more on those later. I think these earlier singles were testing the water before unleashing the full Tomb Tones experience on the world. Pumpkin Guts is a real triumph. It is full of old school punk/rockabilly/horror schlocky fun that appeals to a broader audience. Everything from The B-52s to The CrampsRocket From The Crypt and The Cherry Poppin' Daddies and so on. Riff, rhythm and great stories are encapsulated in a bubble of catchy tunes and awesome bass lines! The fact that Kyle draws from personal fears as lyrical influences means you get a real story told from start to finish, this really draws you in and the songs are arranged in a way that makes it easy to follow the story is a huge plus point. "Party Of Horror Beach" was originally released on their first EP but has been deemed awesome enough to progress as the opening track of this new release. With a kind of ‘60s surfer vibe, it is the perfect opener. "Monster Movie" is punkier with the classic “woahs” and “ohs” and a great story about being trapped in a movie. "My Girlfriend's A Zombie" begins with a slow ballad style opening verse and develops into a great singalong chorus. This is another song that has made a few appearances over the years and has become a bit of a signature song for the band. I can image that it goes down well live. The following four tracks all have different variations in style but all with different horror themes detailing deadly train travel, vampiric relations, and ghostly tales. The latter bringing a (dare I say it) country-style vibe to the proceedings. Ending with an ode about talking to the dead, ensuring that Pumpkin Guts has a spooky tale for every occasion.

Ghost Of Toast (June 2023)

  1. Intro/ The Ghost of Toast (1.32)
  2. Halloween Mart (4.00)
  3. Wormhole (2.12)
  4. Dead Meat (3.49)
  5. Googly Eyes (3.25)
  6. And Now, A Word from our Sponsor... (1.11)
  7. Mr. Babadookie (1.56)
  8. Jumpy (3.23)
  9. Think Tank (2.53)
  10. Epilogue (0.47)

Ghost Of Toast was the first album I heard of The Tomb Tones with songs "Wormhole" and "Googly Eyes" quickly becoming favourites of mine. This of course led me on to check out their previous releases and get a bit hooked. This album is more of a concept album when compared to their other material and it has a running theme going through it which I really enjoyed. Who's to say if they will do another album like this or something completely different but, again, this is a really fun album to listen to. I have previously reviewed it for Scene Point Blank so to save me repeating myself please follow the link for the full review:- https://www.scenepointblank.com/reviews ... ost-toast/

Pumpkin Guts (Smell My Feet Edition) (August 2023)

  1. Party of Horror Beach (2.50)
  2. Monster Movie (2.56)
  3. My Girlfriend's a Zombie (3.30)
  4. Devil's Train of Death (3.26)
  5. Dracula's Brother (3.22)
  6. Ghost Story (3.56)
  7. Sick Sense (4.59)
  8. Monster Movie (Ghost Pepper Acoustic Version) (3.04)
  9. My Girlfriend's a Zombie (Valentine's Day Double Feature Version) (3.22)
  10. Taxidermized (3.03)
  11. New Year's Eve (3.24)

Pumpkin Guts (Smell My Feet Edition) was released in August 2023 and is a remastered version of the 2020 release. The original seven tracks have all had a revamp with opener "Party Of Horror Beach" getting a spooky new intro and a few other tracks getting theme-specific sound effects added and everything just given a bit of a spruce up to sound just a tiny bit brighter. Four bonus tracks have been added breaking it out of EP territory and fully into album status. I love the ghost pepper acoustic version of "Monster Movie" -- it gives the tune a humorous Mexican twist which seems to really suit the lyrics.

The earlier mentioned songs from the older EP and double feature single are also on here as well. So we have the original version of "My Girlfriend's A Zombie," which was first released as a double feature single in Feb 2018. It's cool to see how the song has evolved over the years. "Taxidermized" gets a second outing along with "New Years Eve" from December 2017's New Years Evil EP.

The “Smell My Feet” edition of Pumpkin Guts is the comprehensive collection of The Tomb Tones back catalogue before the release of the awesome Ghost Of Toast came out and, with this all wrapped up in a nice bundle, they are ready for their next chapter!

--

I love that The Tomb Tones are a little different from the norm and that they are here for a good time: to see people have fun with horror and music. They seem like a band that want to involve and immerse everyone in their music which makes it really accessible without trying to fit into a particular niche. This does not mean that they are any less serious about their music. They put a lot of thought into the arrangements and their storytelling is so detailed and really engaging. They have great talent and skill in their recordings. This is a part of the DIY experience I have noticed with a lot of the bands that have featured. They have done this by themselves and all of their recordings sound like they have been done very professionally.

Please make sure you check out The Tomb Tones if you haven't already. Their music is all available through Bandcamp, YouTube and don't forget to check out their socials!

Thanks for reading this instalment of Upcoming Talent. This is the place to be if you are in an unsigned band and want to shout about it! In this feature you will find out all about our chosen band straight from the horse's mouth, not to mention a full discography review, merch, social and gig links with some visual aids for your delectation. If you would like to be featured in a future Upcoming Talent piece then please contact me at sarahjane@scenepointblank.com

Upcoming Talent #15 – The Tomb Tones
Upcoming Talent #15 – The Tomb Tones

Related features

Static Friction

One Question Interviews • December 17, 2024

Derek (Static Friction) SPB: What is the furthest you’ve ever traveled to see a single show (and who was it)? Derek: Oh boy, I just so happen to have a good answer for this one. My wife and I have been planning an Italy trip for about a year and … Read more

Feel It Records

One Question Interviews • December 16, 2024

Sam (Feel It Records) SPB: What is your favorite album cover of all time? Sam: Funkadelic - Maggot Brain Totally iconic, striking, and still relevant to this day. Still wakes me up every time I pick it out to spin. Read more

Red Scare Industries - History 101

Music / History 101 • December 10, 2024

Hey folks, Toby here, and the SPB team asked me to provide some insights about some stuff from our catalog now that Red Scare is (you gotta be shittin’ me?!) twenty years old. Specifically a “memory or modern take” on some past releases, and they picked some doozies, so let’s … Read more

Ultrabomb (Greg Norton)

Interviews • December 10, 2024

UltraBomb is Greg Norton - Bass (Hüsker Dü), Finny McConnell - Vocals and Guitars (The Mahones), and Derek O'Brien - Drums (Social Distortion), replacing Jamie Oliver (UK Subs). References are being dropped like an UltraBomb (like that? ha!) so, that being said: are they a supergroup or power trio? Neither … Read more

Gob

One Question Interviews • December 5, 2024

Steven Fairweather (Gob) SPB: How many people mispronounce your name as an Arrested Development reference? Fairweather: HAHA! Not too many actually! I’m sure it’s maybe more of an issue when Googling the band. But we were once out on a run of shows with a band called “Seaway,” so for … Read more

More from this section

Upcoming Talent #14 – Siblings of Samhain

Upcoming Talent • October 18, 2023

Welcome back to our next instalment of Upcoming Talent, the feature that gives new and upcoming bands a platform to tell a wider audience all about themselves. This time we are back in the UK with a horrorpunk outfit that had spent a long time as a DIY duo and … Read more

Upcoming Talent #13 – Pretty With The Lights Out

Upcoming Talent • August 20, 2023

I feel like it has been a while since our last Upcoming Talent feature but we are back with a bang to bring you news of a shiny new solo project from Indianapolis. Meet Pretty With The Lights Out, a quirky horror themed punk rock project whose mastermind, Nate, has … Read more

Upcoming Talent #12: A Living Hell

Upcoming Talent • March 5, 2023

It's a new year so we welcome back the next instalment of our unsigned band feature, Upcoming Talent. This time we have punk rock band sprinkled with a pinch of melodic darkness, A Living Hell! We caught up with singer/guitarist Jason to tell us all about themselves... Scene Point Blank: … Read more