There’s a certain satisfaction in watching a band strip away the frills and hit you square in the chest with nothing but raw muscle and intent. That’s what Washington’s Borracho have done on their sixth studio album, Ouroboros. Gone are the sprawling psychedelic detours of the last couple of records – this is a power trio reasserting their authority in the hard, riff-driven vein that first earned them their reputation. And they’ve never sounded more dangerous.
From the first snarling chord, it’s clear these are musicians who know how to channel fury into groove. There’s swagger here, yes, but it’s tempered by a keen sense of purpose: Borracho are telling a story, and it’s grim. Mental health crises, authoritarian overreach, cultural decay – the album is a mirror held up to the world, reflecting not just the chaos outside but the self-destruction within. The music doesn’t linger on the darkness for reflection’s sake; it grabs it by the scruff and shakes it until it roars.
Musically, Ouroboros sits squarely in the sweet spot between stoner heft and hard rock immediacy. Guitar riffs are dense but nimble, rolling and twisting like some massive serpent – the ouroboros itself – biting its tail in an endless loop of entropy. The rhythm section locks in tight, each groove a push-pull that keeps the momentum urgent, and the vocals punch through with a raw immediacy that never feels rehearsed. It’s a sound that demands volume, attention, and a little bit of recklessness from the listener.
For fans of Orange Goblin, Clutch, or The Obsessed, this record lands like a shot you feel in your chest and your gut simultaneously. But even beyond genre affinities, there’s a universality to the way Borracho harness anger, concern, and unfiltered vitality into something that transcends simple categorization. The cycle of destruction they explore isn’t just topical – it’s elemental, existential, and undeniably human.
In short: Ouroboros doesn’t apologize, it doesn’t meander, and it certainly doesn’t pretend the world isn’t a mess. It rocks. It groans. It bites. And it reminds you why, for over fifteen years, Borracho have remained one of heavy rock’s most unrelenting forces.
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Released by Ripple Music on August 8th, 2025
