JIRM: The Tunnel, The Well, Holy Bedlam

Here is one that has taken a while to get to. The band is JIRM, formerly known as Jeremy Irons & the Ratgang Malibus. They hail from Stockholm, Sweden and formed in 2004. The Tunnel, The Well, Holy Bedlam is their latest album and was released in 2022.

This is one of those albums that may take a little time to fully appreciate but when it happens it’s like a revelation. This is some powerful stuff, very heady, very enticing, and very good.

There are six tracks, each around seven minutes or more. There is more than enough time for each song to be fully fleshed out, slowly evolving so as to create a stirring and highly impactful listen. The music is equal parts stoner, doom, and space, all with a cosmic vibe that is completely entrancing beginning with the first track “Liquid Covenant�. A semi clean guitar riff, cool effects, and stunning use of percussion make way for some serious distortion and feedback as the band let loose the heaviness, but all within the confines of a cosmic backdrop. The vocals are distant, very effective within the band’s space-like environs. A sort of cosmic/stoner extravaganza. The walls of sound ease off, allowing for a quieter introspection, Hammond and Mellotron used to great effect, before the heaviness enters once again. The near thirteen minute “Deeper Dwell� is a real head-trip with its cosmic blues sound, the guitar slowly burning through spacey atmospheres of Mellotron and Hammond. Then a dramatic explosion of guitar and to top it off some ultra cool saxophone adds to the trippiness. Can anyone say Pink Floyd? Slowly burning doom guitar riffs begins “You Fly� before the entire band gets in on the action. The lead vocals are eerie and distant, so effective in carrying the mystical vibe. Tricky rhythmic patterns serve to further enhance the sound and the musical depth created here is something you just need to hear. Clean guitar chords begin the atmospheric “Repent In Blood�, the vocals clean and spellbinding, all building slowly, with bursts of heavier riffs adding to the dramatics. The last two tracks are just as good.

The Tunnel, The Well, Hold Bedlam is quite simply an outstanding album, and one of the best I have heard in the genre. I cannot recommend this enough!

A Ripple Music release.

The band is:
Henke Persson (drums, percussion)
Viktor Källgren (bass)
Micke Backendal (guitar)
Karl Apelmo (vocals, guitar)

Discography:
Elefanta (2009)
Bloom (2011)
Spirit Knife (2014)
Surge Ex Monumentis (2018)
The Tunnel, The Well, Holy Bedlam (2022)

Track Listing:
1. Liquid Covenant (6:59)
2. Deeper Dwell (12:47)
3. You Fly (7:26)
4. Repent In Blood (8:37)
5. Carried Away (8:14)
6. Pestilence (8:22)

Added: July 6th 2025
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 22
Language: english

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