Glasgow-based sludge/death metal outfit JOROGUMO return with Babylon, a punishing new album that leans deep into atmosphere, weight, and slow-burning devastation. Rooted in oppressive heaviness and gritty textures, the record expands the band’s sound with longer compositions and a deliberate sense of tension throughout.
The album opens with “The Tower”, an almost four-minute intro that sets a foreboding tone before collapsing into the sprawling “Pitfalls & Rituals”, the record’s longest track at over seven minutes. That sense of scale defines Babylon, with more than half of the album’s tracks stretching beyond the six-minute mark, allowing riffs to breathe, mutate, and grind forward with purpose.
Tracks like “Sabotage Divine”, “Turning the Dial”, and “The Harrow Grove” balance crushing sludge weight with death metal ferocity, while shorter pieces such as “New Mexico” and “Lars Moriendi” serve as stark, unsettling transitions. The pacing feels intentional and immersive, pulling the listener deeper into the album’s bleak sonic world.
At the record’s core sits “Lars Moriendi”, a brief but striking interlude built around an acoustic guitar piece. Stripped of distortion and aggression, the track offers a moment of eerie calm and reflection, acting as a haunting pause before the album descends back into its suffocating weight. The simplicity of the arrangement only deepens its impact, emphasizing mood over force.
Closing tracks like “Turning the Dial” and “The Harrow Grove” bring Babylon to a crushing conclusion, reinforcing JOROGUMO’s strength in long-form songwriting and oppressive atmosphere. Dark, patient, and uncompromising, Babylon stands as a formidable statement from one of Scotland’s most punishing underground heavy acts.
Tracklist:
1. The Tower
2. Pitfalls & Rituals
3. Sabotage Divine
4. New Mexico
5. Lars Moriendi
6. Turning the Dial
Comments
Post a Comment