Babona's new album is a heavy mix of instrumental groove and crushing doom metal, and it pulls no punches. Think Karma to Burn, but darker, heavier, and with an ominous undertow that drags you into the depths. The song titles? They might be in Hungarian, but they perfectly reflect the mood shifts of the music—each track feels like a chapter in some lost, mythical journey.
The opener, Virágom, might translate to "my flower," but don't expect any delicate petals here. The track blooms slowly, with thick, sludgy riffs that feel more like a doom-laden stomp than a gentle unfolding. There's a hypnotic, almost meditative quality to the groove, but it's the kind that drags you deeper into the mud with every passing minute.
Then we’ve got Vesztes, which means “loser”—but this track is anything but a loss. Babona turns the screws here, with a relentless, churning riff that hits like a gut punch. It’s the kind of song that makes you feel like you’re trudging through a battlefield, the weight of doom heavy on your shoulders.
Veszö—translated as “stick” or “rod”—takes things in an even darker direction. The slow, deliberate groove feels like a warning, like you're about to be smacked upside the head by some cosmic force. Babona layers their riffing with a tension that just builds and builds until you’re left teetering on the edge of a sonic cliff.
Végítélet, meaning "judgment day," ramps up the heaviness. This is the album’s high point—a brutal, apocalyptic march of doom that feels like the world is caving in. The groove is undeniable, but the weight of the track makes it feel like you’re marching towards something final, something catastrophic.
The closer, Vakvezetö—“guide dog”—is an interesting shift. While still heavy, it has a more open, expansive feel, like Babona is leading you out of the doom and into the light, but not without leaving a few bruises along the way. There’s a sense of release here, but it’s still wrapped in the band’s signature dark, groovy sound.
In short, Babona’s latest is a beast of an album, expertly blending groove and doom into a dark instrumental journey. These tracks don’t need lyrics to tell their story—the riffs say it all. Heavy, hypnotic, and unforgettable.
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