ALBUM REVIEW: Esto Es Brujeria – Brujeria

Marauding Mexican audio banditos BRUJERIA return after a long hiatus and come full circle with their new record Esto Es Brujeria. After celebrating the 30th anniversary of their classic first album Matando Güeros, the band bring out this album with the same ferocity as they did when they first struck fear into the hearts of the metal world with their cartel worshipping grind assault.

The fact that BRUJERIA and their vocalist/mastermind Juan Brujo have rounded up and can count members of NAPALM DEATH, CARCASS, AT THE GATES and CRIMINAL in their line-up this time around gives you an idea of the pedigree of the musicians on here and it sounds like a massive party from start to finish. A radio segment, all in Mexican of course, kicks off Esto Es Brujeria as it segues into a hypnotic grind that includes a traditional selection of Mexican Mariachi brass that completes the extremity. It is good to hear BRUJERIA embrace that and it sounds far from gimmicky as it works really well and gets the album off to a smallish start.

From then on in, those hypnotically grinding rhythms are out in full force and form a base for Brujo and his vocal cohorts (Fantasma, Pinche Peach and La Encabronada) to raise hell and blare out their tales of cartels, murder and madness with impressive aplomb. The massively energetic Tu Vida Loca, the fabulously titled and menacingly-paced Mexorcista, the brutal Politicamente Correctos and the closing Cocaina (the band’s own brilliant and unique take on ERIC CLAPTON‘s snow-fuelled anthem Cocaine) are all particular highlights on an album packed with them. And then there’s the monstrous Bruja Encabronada which maybe even tops them all with an extremely vicious vocal performance from La Encabronada (who you may or may not also know from Orange Is The New Black).

This is an album that emits visions of backyard Mexican all night fiestas where trouble may be around the corner but you’re having far too much fun to let that come into it. The band’s image may conjure up bloodshed and drug-induced madness, but their music is nothing but fun – a macabre fun it has to be said, but fun all the same. The fact that they’ve been going for 30 years (albeit sporadically) is testament to their strength as a unit and they just sound as if they are having a completely insane party as they blast out track after track of grooving grindcore madness.

Ultimately, Esto Es Brujeria is the most diverse BRUJERIA album to date and the fact that they are branching out sonically and adding more to their repertoire is exciting, but in addition to that they definitely stick to their roots and the spirit of their early albums, especially Matando Güeros, is evident musically and in the album artwork. It seems apt that BRUJERIA have celebrated their past and also looked to the future with this record.

Rating: 8/10

Esto Es Brujeria is set for release on September 15th via Nuclear Blast Records.

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