Xibalba: A True Place Of Fear

With bands like TOMB MOLD and SPECTRAL VOICE proving there to be ample room for a revival of old school OBITUARY worship, it’s actually a bit of a wonder why no one is championing XIBALBA as one of the finest purveyors of this thick-as-tar sludgy death metal sound; because that is exactly what they are.

Having formed in 2007 before bringing their first full slab of musical heft through their debut Madre Mia Gracias Por Los Dias, XIBALBA set themselves apart not just from the death metal scene, but also the hardcore and punk scenes that embraced the band with open arms, and still do throughout their career thanks to their amalgam of death metal riffage with the typically violent Californian hardcore edge.

Through their formative Hasta La Muerte and the excellent Tierra Y Libertad records the Californian group have been honing their craft with all signs pointing towards their epic and lumbering new record Años En Infierno that drops via Southern Lord records this year. The record is the best the band have ever sounded, with smooth transitions turning the record into a thought-out and mature listen that shows the band to be true pathfinders with the sounds they have developed over their career, and founding guitarist Brian Ortiz agrees with the sentiment of Años En Infierno being a bit of a final destination for the XIBALBA sound.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve done [with Años En Infierno]. Every album is a different step and a different evolution for our band,” guitarist Brian Ortiz explains. “On Tierra [y Libertad] we hit what we wanted our sound to be, and with this new record we amplified it and fine tuned everything we did. I think this is our best material to date.”

Amplified is the key word there, and it is frankly astonishing just how massive Años sounds, even by today’s standards. With a foot firmly in the past thanks to the classic HM2 sound that is still as iconic now as it ever has been, XIBALBA modernise the sound with such effortless ease it’s clear that this is something the band pride themselves on. “[Años en Infierno] is a little more thought out, cause we had so much time and we didn’t have any pressure from Southern Lord at all.” Brian reveals just how well the five years since their last full length have been well spent, as he goes on to say “due to conflicting work schedules I had a lot of time to just sit and listen to the songs, and be like ‘oh this would go better over here’.”

It takes one listen of the first single the band revealed of the new album and it should firmly assert just how fucking brilliant XIBALBA sound in their current iteration. En La Oscuridad was a palpable steamroller than put the Californians right back into the limelight and made Años En Infierno one of the most anticipated releases of the year, showing not only the sonic evolution but also the maturity of song writing that Brian recognises has come to be thanks to now 13 years the band have been working together.

Brian acknowledges the development XIBALBA have gone through by looking back to Hasta La Muerte as the record that changed everything for the group. Indeed, their debut is still a mighty beast, but their second opus felt to be more of a complete unit, that would cement the band as a force to be reckoned with songs like No Serenity ploughing through the listener with complete disregard. It was here that Brian truly learnt the benefits of what he calls the ‘tone process’, and despite the band already showing seeds of what they would become, it was here that the group became self-aware of their power.

With Tierra y Libertad showing the band just how good they could sound and Años En Infierno beef it up even more, Brian details the exact creation of his sound as a combination of Odd Fellows Rest by CROWBAR and the dirty rumble of OBITUARY’s End Complete and Cause of Death albums. “I wanted it to be clear but very ugly with low end that will just punch you in the chest” are his exact words, and it is safe to say mission accomplished in every sense of the phrase.

XIBALBA have had the benefit of lacking a hype machine behind them for much of their career. Even as heinous as that might be for a band of this quality, it has meant that free from pressure the band have been able to evolve with each passing record, slowly building to the terrifying strength they now find themselves at. With a recognisable tone that stands atop the pile when it comes to sheer jaw drop factor and also a growing maturity towards their song crafting has moulded XIBALBA into a band that not only break down genre barriers but do it in such a natural way that it would make even the most fervent hardcore hating death metal fan run for the pit with reckless abandon. XIBALBA are a gem of the underground and are gaining value with every passing day.

Años En Infierno is out now via Southern Lord. 

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