Moghul – Dead Empires

Review by Jason Guest

Devizes Records

Formed in 2012 in Birmingham, the sludge/doom/stoner/heavy-as-fuck four-headed monster known as Moghul is set to release Dead Empires, their début, in late January. Clocking in at twenty three minutes, the two tracks here are a hybrid of all things incredibly slow, incredibly dense, and incredibly heavy. A black and bleak trudge through colossal riffs, leaden beats, and a gargantuan vocal bellowing out its bruised lamentations, the atmospheric lead work is more textural than melodious, and the rumble of the bass is earth-shattering. While the title track leans towards bass-heavy, laboured grooves, the near-fourteen minute atmospheric – and perhaps a little too long – ‘Hidden Hand’ is coloured with psychedelic sludge that sees the band augmenting their already impenetrable aesthetic with a range of subtle tones and psychedelic textures. Deliberate, measured, and controlled, Moghul’s début is well-produced, well-executed, and well fucking heavy. In fact, it’s so fucking heavy that the bass-heavy mix will have you prolapsing. Press play, turn it up loud, and clench. It’s good to see the Home of Metal is churning out such great music. Recommended.

8 out of 10

• Visit Moghul on Facebook here
• Buy it on limited edition Breen or Black vinyl here
• Listen and download it at Bandcamp here

Track listing:

1. Dead Empires
2. Hidden Hand