Review Summary: Whoa, slow down there Maestro. There’s a NEW Mexico?
Following up 2023’s Necropolis, the sophomore album from New Mexican Doom Cult lives up to the group’s name. Not so much the New Mexico part (yeah sorry, they’re Swedish) but rather in how it balances a stoner-doom style. The riffs are delivered in the mold of groups like Kyuss, Electric Wizard, and Trouble while the vocals have their nasally Ozzy-isms and the drums are loose. The guitars shape the dynamics more often than that, giving the rhythms a heavy backbone while letting psychedelic effects color the atmosphere.
That rockin’ side of the spectrum gets the most focus as the album kicks off. The opening “The Church Of Starry Wisdom” and “Metatron” may be a little too prone to some meandering structures, but a focus on groovy riff sets help keep them sufficiently anchored. Lead single “Cloudrider” and “Return To Babylon” feel the most indebted to retro doom, the former’s swaggering riff hitting somewhere between Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen” and The Sword’s “Freya” while the latter dips into Spirit Caravan” territory.
And with “Criosphinx” signaling the transition as its upbeat riff set gets broken up by gradually enveloping tangents, the album’s last couple songs take on a more mellow makeup as the stoner-psych elements take over. “Godsun” brings in a subdued and sprawling desert mood shaped by echoing vocals and warped guitar effects before climaxing in an especially colossal plod. The closing “I Stand Alone” applies that aura to a more straightforward layout, its sturdy beat and drawled vocals seemingly channeling the New Mexico part of their name after all.
Overall, New Mexican Doom Cult sees some good growth with Ziggurat. While their take on bluesy desert doom can feel fairly standard at times, spreading the dynamics further out makes for a more developed listen compared to previous showings. Part of me wishes the songwriting could still be a bit more direct but the tracks are pretty memorable and rise above feeling like generic fare. It’s easy to see how things could sprawl out more but fans of groups like Stoned Jesus, Fire Down Below, and Faerie Ring can consider this good company.
