Gradle uses "a full programming language" and I hate it but I have to use it for Android projects. Debugging Gradle problems is as fun as you'd imagine. There's a lot of dark matter in your build scripts that you don't see but that influences what happens. And because Android tooling is a clusterfuck ever since the demise of Eclipse+ADT, any change you make to your build process runs the risk of the entire thing exploding in your face.
This one is at least fully predictable, self-contained and doesn't randomly download 150 MB of crap when you're on a slow coffee shop wifi. I'm gonna try it sometime.