ALBUM REVIEW: Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar – Yaotl Mictlan

In the popular consciousness, black metal has become hugely infamous for the racial politics and views on national heritage espoused by a handful of its early proponents. While this is just a case of a few very bad apples, the image has become entwined in the mystique of this complicated sub-genre. Much has been done to disentangle these abhorrent views, however the tag persists, like a burl on the bark of an otherwise grand and resplendent tree. Doing some impressively idiosyncratic work to further this unravelling is Salt Lake City’s YAOTL MICTLAN.

Formed in 1998, the band have been an elusive presence within the scene, having released only three albums prior to Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar. Their name translates as Warriors From The Land Of The Dead, and their thematic and aesthetic focus is on their shared Mexican/Mayan ancestry. However their deep dive into this fascinating era yields far more than just a history lesson, and becomes a brilliant and unique subversion of the most loathsome corners of black metal ideology.

The very nature of the album implies a sense of celebration. It’s a grandiose and ornate affair, utilising traditional Mexican instrumentation and bold, textured passages atop the requisite heaviness. Chant-like gang vocals are commonplace, used to especially great effect on Coatlicue and Nuevo Fuego, suggesting a tangible sense of unity and brotherhood. The traditional instruments are also constantly intriguing, whether merging with the guitar and drums on the build-up in Tezcatlipoca – Espejo Relumbrante or setting a riveting, steamy jungle atmosphere on Buho Lanzadardos. To western ears admittedly unfamiliar with their timbre and tone of these instruments, they create a carnivalesque mood of urgency and life, in step with YAOTL MICTLAN‘s portrayal of vibrant cultural celebration.

One of Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar’s most intriguing accomplishments is how YAOTL MICTLAN reclaim Mexican history from its colonial past. Tezcatlipoca – Espejo Relumbrante features the line “enough with this nightmare that you keep giving us, 500 years of cruelty to us your heirs” and sees the narrator drawing strength by channelling the Tezcatlipoca warriors. These ideas about gaining power from ancestry are a common theme across the album, made explicit in the closing lines of Buho Lanzadardos, which tells the story of the great ruler Spearthrower Owl and urges “never forgetting its roots abroad nor the ancestral rites that we all have in our blood”. Through these themes, YAOTL MICTLAN create an empowering vision of a subjugated people, one not aimed at proclaiming any sort of superiority, but about simply reclaiming pride following years of oppression and destruction.

It all adds up to a wonderfully positive vision, at odds with the often dour and forlorn attitude of traditional black metal. Though there’s an inherent sense of melancholy to Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar’s portrayal of a decimated culture, it never feels portentous or maudlin, just urgent and powerful. It’s also surprisingly light on its feet for such a weighty and dense collection of songs, channelling the energy of a warrior sprinting through the jungle, the fires of the temples illuminating the sky behind, his face steely-eyed, determined, and proud.

Rating: 9/10

Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar is out now via American Line Productions.

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