Vice Interview: Tombs

Interview for the 'History Issue' of Vice Magazine with raging NY blackened hardcore outfit Tombs.

Tombs Are Dead Scary

You can’t really get a more history filled place than a Tomb. They are basically little pockets of times passed. Sealed, buried nuggets of yesterday preserved forevermore. Pretty creepy really if you think about it which is probably why pretty much every cheap shlocky band ever has at some point or other relied on a coffin, skeleton, mummy, headstone or gravedigger to give their act some oompah. Come on, The Misfits rule but they looked a little silly if you were any older than lets say hmm…4?

Anyhow, this band may be called Tombs but they skip the whole Adams Family schtick and go in for terrifying you with brutal, uncompromising riffs that sound like they want to kill you by battering your skull in with a rusty nail and then raping your unborn child. In fact they could be singing about just that for all I know ‘cos I can’t make out a word the scary singer guy is howling.

VICE: You are all of a certain erm…vintage. Could you run us through the annals of Tombs history?
Mike Hill (guitar): Carson was working at a restaurant down the street from where I live in Brooklyn. One day I was wearing an Eyehategod shirt when I went in there and we started talking about music and how weak Williamsburg is and that was it. Eyehategod is the root of our history: the foot of the Tombs family tree.

Aside from Eyehategod what other stuff are you into?
Mike: David Lynch films, vintage firearms, suffering, darkness, winter.
Justin Ennis (Drums): And the constant need to escape from reality.

In ancient Rome if a Vestal Virgin popped her cherry she would be buried alive in a tomb. How would you guys hate to go?
Mike: Being torn apart by wolves or having your heart cut out with a stone knife would suck.
Carson Daniel James (Bass): Anything where you are still alive is going to suck really isn’t it? Buried alive, burned alive, eaten alive. None of those would be fun.
Justin: I am not into old age full stop.

Which historical figure living or dead would you like to see buried alive in a tomb?
Mike: This guy that lives in my neighborhood that I see everywhere. He has a moustache and wears all of these old school metal patches on his denim jacket but he is a total fake.
Carson: Matt Grierson. Mark my words motherfucker, if you're reading this you’re already dead.

How could he be reading this if he were dead? Plus you get to kill anyone ever including Hitler, Pol Pot or even Heather Mills and you go for some guy only you know? Come on, stop world suffering once and for all here.
Justin: OK, George Bush and anyone that voted for him?

Generic but more what I was looking for.

Frankenjams

Tombs self titled debut album is available now on Black Box Recordings.
Myspace.com/tombsbklyn