New Mexican Doom Cult: The Old and the New

New Mexican Doom Cult is a band that hails from the small town of Gävle, located in the far north of Sweden. The band describes Gävle as a "cold and lonely place, where the merciless winds blow from the Baltic Sea, making it an ideal place for what the people of the North call Långsamrock" (this translates to "slow rock" in English...you know...doom!) Now, Sweden is quite well known for producing a wide variety of metal bands across genres. I've always associated Sweden with black metal more than anything, but the country boasts a large number of doom metal bands as well, such as Candlemass, Count Raven, Grand Magus, Sorcerer, and one of my personal favorites, Witchcraft. Knowing this, and never having listened to New Mexican Doom Cult before, I wasn't sure what to expect... Blackened doom, perhaps? Or maybe something a bit more traditional? What I heard is a band that's not so easy to pigeonhole. Is it doomy? You bet it is. Heavy? Absolutely, with riffs as harsh as the windswept Northern Swedish landscape. However, the stoner rock element and fuzz factor that is present could just as easily be from the Mojave Desert, only darker. With this observation, I can safely say that New Mexican Doom Cult is a very aptly named band, indeed. 

The band released two albums in 2023. Necropolis, an album composed of all new material, was released in March. Following this, the band released From the Crypt in December, a five track album of older songs. Here, we'll talk a bit about each of these albums individually. 

Necropolis

Necropolis is an album that, to this listener, seems to be nearly conceptual in nature, weaving tales of encounters with creatures, presumably ice monsters, waking from years-long slumbers in their icy caverns. The track Architect opens the album with big sound, a perfect combination of lumbering doom and fuzzy stoner, keeping the lyrics and vocals a bit more characteristic of traditional doom metal. The subject matter at hand, as well as Architect's placement as the opening song on the album, creates the idea of a building of fortitude against a skirmish or encounter - be it with an enemy, situation, or even the elements. Seven Spirits continues this story of a showdown with its cautiously triumphant guitar riffs. This leads us into Underground, a heavy, rugged, fuzzier number, focusing more on the mental challenges at hand such as remorse (or lack thereof), misery, alienation, and hatred of society; "a dead soul lurking among the living." Necropolis, the title track, signals fear and doubt; the quintessential ordeal stage in the hero's journey. Vortex is slower, fatigued, even trudging a bit, alluding to the end of a battle, stating that the "misery has come to an end." The album ends in a big way with Archangel and Worship the Sun, respectively. These tracks boast some especially impressive guitar work (the guitar is spectacular across the entire album, but it receives a spotlight here) and more powerful, dynamic vocals. A fantastic way for this journey to end. 

I was left a bit nonplussed in the best way after hearing Necropolis from start to finish, reminding me again of the amazing talent in the underground stoner/doom scene. This is an album that stands out with its incredible musicianship, complexity, and thoughtful composition. 

From the Crypt

From the Crypt was released on December 12, 2023 via Olde Magick Records (a label we all know and love around here!). This is an album of older tracks from the band, going back to 2018-ish. At the time these songs were recorded, New Mexican Doom Cult had a slightly different lineup, but their core sound and themes still shine through on this record. According to the band, the songs featured here are about "ice monsters, lost ships, Sumerian demons, and cannibals. That kind of stuff we know you love." It's true, we do love that stuff. New Mexican Doom Cult certainly delivers on this promise when From The Crypt opens with the song The Passage, immediately rattling your insides with heavy, doomy riffs and the aforementioned folklore. The album continues in the same vein but slows things down a bit tempo-wise on Sky Buffalo. Mark of Cain is a track that stood out to me as having noticeable stoner rock influence with its guitar part. Rest assured, this song is still dripping with doom, as evidenced in its lyrics:

"Hello darkness, my old friend

Down in madness we descend

Walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Suffocate as we fight for breath."

The Abyss is another speaker-shaking track that makes use of organ and some epic guitar work, as per usual. Vicious Count rounds out the album, ending it with some jauntier instrumentals and some really cool vocals that you could nearly call frantic here. 

When I gave From the Crypt a spin, I wasn't sure how it would, or could, compare to the greatness that is Necropolis, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's just as good across the board with quality, production, musicianship, everything. The songs on From the Crypt are slightly longer overall and some are a bit more progressive in nature (such as Sky Buffalo). Its riffs are ever so slightly heavier with more of a stoner rock influence at times (such as some of the riffs on Mark of Cain) when compared to Necropolis. Of course, these are all very good things. In fact, I think my favorite thing about the band is their traditional doom sound and vocal/lyrical style that is brightened by hints of stoner rock stylings. The best thing about listening to From the Crypt is the opportunity to see how New Mexican Doom Cult's sound has evolved over the past few years. In spite of a slight lineup change and the passage of a handful of years, it's safe to say the band continues to expertly hone their craft and find their signature sound. New Mexican Doom Cult stay true to their original creative mission, always making sure to give us a taste of the merciless climate of Northern Sweden in both sound and word. 

 

Listening to New Mexican Doom Cult for the first time was a very cool experience. I went into it having no idea what to expect (which is often the best way to approach such things), and came out with an immense appreciation for the talent the band possesses. I really can't recommend these albums enough. Do yourself a huge favor and check out their music on Bandcamp and Spotify, and show the band some much deserved love on Instagram and Facebook.

With the release of From the Crypt, these older tunes are now available on vinyl for the first time, found on New Mexican Doom Cult's Bandcamp page. You can also purchase the vinyl of Necropolis, in addition to some snazzy shirts and patches. 

Fun Fact: As I was writing this blog, From the Crypt came in at #22 on the December Doom Charts! Congratulations! 

A big thank you to New Mexican Doom Cult for sharing their awesome music with us!