Borracho doesn’t just make music; They create entire worlds, scenes, and stories through amazingly textured soundscapes. Though they do have a history of going for desert imagery, their new record Blurring the Lines of Reality (Kozmik Artifactz) explores newer territory with Middle Eastern sounds. The “Arabian Nights” of doom metal, if you will. Strange as it may seem, Borracho managed to marry this unlikely duo to fantastic results.

Way too many records nowadays fall victim to the same old formula which has produced a lot of boring or repetitive album introductions. “Architects of Chaos I” is a perfect example of what a first track should be. A blunt, unapologetic piece that sets the tone for the rest of the album. In the words of the aforementioned song’s lyrics, “Sit back, relax”, for this album was built for a chill night of indulging in beefy rifts. Just don’t get caught off-guard by the end of “Loaded”. That hard cut is cause for pause, in the funnest way possible.

“Fun” might be a strange word for a metal album revolving around the horrors of AI, but that’s the true beauty of stoner doom. The lyrics can be as morbid and existential as the mind can fathom, yet it never takes itself too seriously. Borracho’s music carries the true spirit of metal in this way. You can truly feel that they write for themselves, not a radio or a record company. Their lyrics admittedly aren’t the most groundbreaking or poetic thing you’ve ever heard, but they’re real.

Borracho has been around for a good fifteen years and it shows. They conveyed sincerity and humanity through untactful commentary on the modern-day wars, all while mixing in worldly sounds fully foreign to their scene. A record this complex could only be pulled off by a band with great experience and passion.

Buy the album here:

https://kozmik-artifactz.bandcamp.com/album/borracho-blurring-the-lines-of-reality

7 / 10

LJ de WITT