For the most recent news and show dates, check the our blog.

We also have previews from our new album on our myspace page (myspace.com/destroyreggae).

THE STORY SO FAR...
Formed in 2001 amid the woods of Hudson, New Hampshire, Destroy Babylon are a group of music-obsessed, childhood friends. Combining hard hitting reggae rhythms, drenched in vintage delay and reverb, with the immediacy of early SST-style punk rock, the band rolls their own blend of punky reggae that sets them apart from the crowded Boston music scene. Taking inspiration from artists like King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Augustus Pablo (especially in the use of their vintage Hohner melodica), the Clash, and the Minutemen, the band fuses political and social commentary with humor and music that will make the crowd dance like it's Bush's last year in office.
Since relocating to Boston a few years ago, DB released their well-received debut album, Oligopuzzled ("A clever bit of musical art delivered in a highly inventive and original package" -Metronome Magazine), and a follow up EP, Separation. They have consistently increased their fan base playing frequently in the Boston area. Sharing stages with everyone from the English Beat and the Black Eyed Peas to local hardcore punk bands, DB offers a high energy live show to engage audience members at home or on the road.

Destroy Babylon is:
Chris Moran - bass / keys / stick
John Beaudette - gits / vox / melodica / horns
Marc Beaudette - drums / vox
Rob Carmichael - gits / vox
Jon Mercer - keys / live effects / percussion

PRESS...

SEPARATION REVIEW
Smother Magazine, April 07:

New Hampshire natives Destroy Babylon release “sEParation” fresh on the heels of their promising “Oligopuzzled”. Reggae punk is their flavor but they add in elements of math rock, jigsaw rhythms, and counter-culture lyrics. Highly energetic the group sounds much more populated than a mere trio. This is a blister of punk rock who should never have time to properly heal.

OLIGOPUZZLED REVIEW
Performer Magazine, Nov 06:

Destroy Babylon, originally from New Hampshire and now Boston-based, make their recorded debut with the self-released and thought-provoking Oligopuzzled. The band has a strong reggae underpinning sound-wise that is tinged with indie rock and a punk spirit, at times recalling The Police. Raucous, metal-esque guitar work and a diverse assemblage of instruments (including fruit) fill out the atmospheric vibe. Add a healthy dose of world-conscious lyrics, and you have a wide-ranging, genre-hopping album.

"Rocky Shores from a Bird's Eye," the first track, is a kind of fable where a certain current president teams with "a bird named Jim" to cause all sorts of trouble in the name of a higher power. The song features a steady, reggae groove with powerful, yet airy, guitar soloing overhead that becomes a recurring dynamic on the CD.

"Of Fish and Water" sees the group continuing to take up the classic call of reggae as a supporter of social causes, as this track has a line that typifies the album's perspective: "I believe in human rights / For more than just myself." "Grab a Shovel (Dig Faster!)" starts with a brief recording that sounds like an educational broadcast from the '60s and references colonization. Sweeping, hard-rock guitar then moves in, making way for a brief keyboard solo before taking back the reigns of rocking out until the end of the song. "Bureaucratic Beat" examines another cause of societal strife, with vocalist/multi-instrumentalist John Beaudette noting that "big business sucks up and it spits out." A significant point in the album comes with the short fifth track, "ADD to Album," followed by "Oligopuzzled (Part VI)," both of which cast a wary gaze at the digital music revolution. The former offers a sharp lament that sounds like an ironic pro-CD rallying cry for our modern age .. "I've got music ADD so skip the track!" Musically, the tune sways from dominant hard rock to mellow indie rock and back to intense guitar-heroics before closing with a somber horn outro.

Clearly a group who wants you to be a bit puzzled, then ask some questions, Destroy Babylon puts a tripped-out spin on the reggae sound and seizes on a number of current social issues to come up with a strong first record.

-Andrew Palmacci