Review: New Mexican Doom Cult ‘Ziggurat’
When I grabbed hold of this to review, I perhaps rather naively assumed it would be a band from New Mexico. I had a slight chuckle when I realised they were in fact from Sweden, which made me even more intrigued. I mean stoner doom infused with Nordic mythology, something to look forward to methinks.
Straight from the off, the quartet from the icy chills of Gavle have taken inspiration ‘from the ancient temples of Mesopotamia’ to create their second full-length album, Ziggurat, which has the power and force to move glaciers across the Baltic Sea. The fuzzed-out worship begins with The Church Of Starry Wisdom, where you’re hit with a mighty slab of ancient bedrock from the frozen tundra. It draws you into their world, with its slow, crushing sound and by the end, you are begging for more.
Metatron has a slightly different beginning with a simple drum beat from Magnus, but it’s accompanied by cosmic guitar riffs from Nils and David that float around in the ether. It has me feeling like I’m trapped on some sort of space ritual looking down on the earth, but it drifts along effortlessly, leading into the epic Cloudrider. I love everything about this track. The silky-smooth riff, the ominous vocal from Nils, the tempo changes, the seemingly evil intent behind the composition, all mixed with an atmospheric solo that illuminates the song.
you’re hit with a mighty slab of ancient bedrock from the frozen tundra…
Return To Babylon has that deep, earthy experience, almost as if you are being pulled out of the ground. It shakes you to your core, taking you on another epic journey of discovery, with more doom-laden guitar parts that tease you each time you listen to them. The emotive nature of the music is further enabled with Criosphinx, which conjures ominous imagery of mythical gods fighting for supremacy. It’s a timely reminder of their music’s fierce nature before you get a complete change of tack with the masterpiece that is Sungod.
The quartet take their storytelling to different levels here, and you get the sense that they have awoken the god from their slumber. The orchestral piece at the beginning fits perfectly as it gives way to an ambient style guitar before the echoed vocals arrive and progresses into a crushing, heavy sound. They finish with I Stand Alone which again sends chills down your spine, as you sense the cold isolating nature of their environment. It comes to life in the mid-section, with massive riffs and huge drums, before it transitions back to being relaxed yet evocative, finally unleashing their windswept terror one last time at the end.
Label: Majestic Mountain Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
