New Mexican Doom Cult – Ziggurat
Release Date: 23rd January 2026
Label: Majestic Mountain Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Doom, Stoner, Fuzz.
FFO: Kal-El, Acid Mammoth, Monolord, Dopelord, Acid King.
Review By: Magnus Rotås
What does New Mexico, ancient Mesopotamia and the frozen edges of Gävle, Sweden have in common? Well not much probably, but with Ziggurat, Swedish doom band New Mexican Doom Cult use Mesopotamian myths as a basis for their second full-length album that firmly establishes them as modern torchbearers of riff-driven Scandinavian heaviness.
The album is steeped in classic doom traditions, but it never feels like a mere exercise in nostalgia. Instead, Ziggurat’s main ingredient is the massive, infectious riffs that lodge themselves in your head long after the record stops spinning.
The true strength of the album lies in its songwriting. Each track is constructed around riffs that are not only heavy and fuzzy but also remarkably memorable, managing to strike that rare balance between weight and groove which is the essence in Black Sabbath’s music that so many imitators strive after, but few manage to do as well as New Mexican Doom Cult.
The band released their debut Necropolis back in 2023, and I remember having the title track on repeat for much of that year. And I am happy to tell you that Ziggurat is a better album in every way, there really isn’t a single weak track on here. The band understands restraint as well as excess—letting riffs breathe, repeat, and evolve until they become hypnotic. This approach gives Ziggurat a strong sense of flow, where songs feel distinct yet connected.
The vocals are very Ozzy-like. This style can be very hit or miss, but I mostly dig the vocals on here, even though I found them a bit too nasal at first listen. Production-wise, Ziggurat sounds thick and earthy. The guitars dominate without drowning out the rhythm section, and the overall sound reinforces the ritualistic, almost ceremonial vibe suggested by the album’s overall aesthetic.
In the end, Ziggurat kicks off 2026 strong and stands as a very strong doom album: heavy, addictive, and with some very infectious riffs that demand repeat listens. There are a lot of doom records released each year who take inspiration from Black Sabbath and most of them fall flat, but Ziggurat reminds me why I love the genre in the first place and has enough great riffs and identity to stand out from the pack.
(4 / 5)
