Tona - 1000 (2008)

From last.fm:


"Coming from Novi Sad, the town in sleepy northern Serbia’s province of Vojvodina, TONA started playing loud in summer 2005. Right from the start, this 5-piece aimed at creating versatile and original sound, combining the best of rock, metal and punk music of the last decades.Anything that can be combined into a powerful sonic blast is put into the band’s cauldron and cast into a solid piece of rock, making the unique sound of TONA.The band released their first full-lenght named 1000. The album is released for SKC NS, regional government sponsored label that aims to promote alternative culture in Serbia."


When I think of Serbia the LAST thing I think of is music like this. I thought stoner rock was exclusively an American western thing, or at least where all the good stoner stuff has originated from, but man DO NOT trust these random little foreign countries. Tona are a sick band that plays just that kind of style, really going above and beyond with some unusual and very groovy guitar riffs. Unlike Clutch, the vocals are pretty tolerable and don't have that annoying as FUCK monotone voice that you get when listening to them. Some songs such as Down To Play and Red Cylinder has a real traditional hard rock sound to them jam packed with aggressive, almost punk riffs. Other songs like Pieces, which starts out with a harmonica piece, and Box, are a bit more low key, tossing in that familiar prog rock with diverse basslines to fuck with your mind. Another thing to add is that the lyrics interchange from English to Serbia so if you fancy that sorta then than this should be right up your alley. I was reading a review on it on another album and someone compared them to the Melvins and System Of The Down. Okay, I can see the Melvins but System Of A Down? Granted they both shared the same stage back in the day at Ozzfest but other than that I can't EVER seeing them being compared to SOAD. Just silly talk! Anyways, if you're a straight up instrumental enthusiast who loves a bit of edge in their rock, I'd highly advise picking this album up. 

Download HERE