ALBUM REVIEW: Tlazcaltiliztli – Tzompantli
Over the years, different subgenres have earned their own telltale signs and tropes. Death metal in particular has long held a penchant for gruesome album artwork or grotesque band/album names. CATTLE DECAPITATION have been particularly effective with this over the past 25 years and now there is no mystery as to what we are getting from them. Enter TZOMPANTLI. This is a band that have named themselves after Native American racks on which to display human skulls, and named their debut album Tlazcaltiliztli after a ritual ceremony that translates to ‘nourishing the fire and sun with blood’. It should come as no surprise then that their music exists in the realm of death-doom, but theirs is a sound and identity that is imbued with the spirit of indigenous themes and history, led by Huey Itztekwanotl o))). This potent combination adds up to a harrowing sonic experience the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else… yet.
Dedicated to the indigenous peoples, nations & tribes of the American continents, the album opens with Yaohuehuetl (‘war drum’). The scene is set with the use of huehuetl drumming, a drum used in Aztec warrior gatherings. Already, it’s clear that this album serves as a rallying battle cry, and the addition of death whistles, shells and shakers completes the intimidating picture. It’s these numbers deeply rooted in indigenous heritage and culture where this album really shines. Eltequi (to cut the chest open and extract the heart as an offering) sees TZOMPANTLI go for all-out Indigenous American inspiration. Death metal vocals are replaced with shamanic chants and war cries. It’s an atmosphere like few other bands have conjured so far this year and lends a palpable danger to proceedings.
Ohtlatocopailcahualuztli sees the band at their most unhinged; wall-to-wall bombardment of the senses from every touch point makes this stand out as a real highlight. From rolling thunder drums and crushing riffs, to a vocal delivery that covers deathly lows, angst-ridden screams and the album’s first ‘BLEGH’, this is arguably the heaviest song on the album. You feel every second of the 4:17 runtime, as the claustrophobic wall of sound presses in more and more with every punishing bar.
On the other hand, the start of album closer Yaotiacahuenetzli invokes YOB‘s Beauty In Falling Leaves, before imploding under a cascade of doom chords that are sustained for so long that it feels as if it’s all come to an end. Gradually picking up the pace, the band detonates into one final frenzy of death metal riffs and blast beats. Itztekwanotl o)))’s vocals reach a ground-shaking pinnacle here, the kind of noise that could open a hole in the very Earth itself. It’s a monumental performance, and the big, deep breath in before the very final breakdown raises the hairs on the back of your neck. It’s a tiny moment of calm amidst an ocean of violence, but it’s a very special moment, indeed.
There is one slight misstep between the heritage-based highlights though: you’d be hard pressed to identify Tlatzintilli (something begun; a creation) as being a TZOMPANTLI song, for example, as it treads perilously close to ‘death metal-by-numbers’ territory. That’s not to say the song is bad – far from it – but standing in stark contrast to the likes of Eltequi, it puts a brief dampener on a bold band identity.
Of the albums to be released this week, there will be others that get more attention, but few will possess the unique staying power of Tlazcaltiliztli. By drawing on a heritage that has remained largely untouched by the metal community, TZOMPANTLI has produced an album that is as brutal and terrifying as it is important and eye-opening. Signalling the biggest jump we’ve seen so far in terms of death metal and indigenous heritage coming together, one can only hope this opens the door for more Indigenous people to make their history known in the scene.
Rating: 8/10
Tlazcaltiliztli is set for release on May 6ht via 20 Buck Spin.
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