Review: Tzompantli ‘Beating The Drums Of Ancestral Force’
I am sure most of us have seen the meme with Charlie from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia explaining metal subgenres to his friends. Well, I think we could make a meme based on just trying to explain death-doom metal subgenres. Melodic death-doom, blackened death-doom, psychedelic death-doom, you get the idea.
The kind of death doom the latest Tzompantli album embodies is the type that goes straight for the throat with brutal chugging that will make you want to grab a giant machete and go wild. They bring a heavy tribal feel to their music, with chants, primitive style drums, and shouts.
The band is out of Southern California and truly embraces their Latin heritage with a focus on battle. The word Tzompantli is the Nahuatl name for the skull racks that the Aztecs hung the heads of the slain. The song titles are all in Nahuatl, and the live performances are referred to as rituals. It is easy to see why, as the members wear war paint and tribal garb and bring weapons on stage as if ready to go to war. Their latest album can even be ordered with either the Mexican or El Salvador flag vinyl variation.
The record starts off straight into blast beats with a blood curdling scream followed by a full-on war chant. I actually yelled ‘YES!’ upon hearing this I had to resist the urge to grab my largest kitchen knife to run around the neighborhood with. What follows is some of the most brutal riffs and chugging out there, complemented by nasty death growls. Tetzahuitl features the first of many guitar solos throughout the album (there are eleven people credited on the release, with five of those listed as playing lead guitar). It then flows right into the single Tlayohuali and is similarly brutal but sees the band slow down to throw in some leads.
We are then greeted by a nice break in the heavy in the beginning of the third track Tlaloc Icuic, which shows the band really starting to embrace that tribal sound which sets them apart from other bands in the genre. Clean guitars, heavy toms, and chants build throughout, which ends with a slow and doomed out riff that will have you banging your head and wanting to see it in a live setting.
the most brutal riffs and chugging out there, complemented by nasty death growls…
The following Chichmecatl is probably my pick of the faster songs on the album. It demonstrates the band is comfortable being explorative in their styles and starts with a hardcore type riff that is sure to be a stand out moment for those who love to throw down in the pit during live shows. They also use clean guitar over distorted riffs, which I have always enjoyed. The solo is chilling and atmospheric, using just a few notes to bring a sense of dread.
Next, we come to my favorite track, Tetzaviztli, and this is one to listen to while you go to war. The heavily percussive oriented intro, the chants, and the riffs all come together to create what I call Indigenous battle metal. I was reminded a bit of the tribal elements of the album Exuvia by The Ruins Of Beverast. The transition into Otlica Mictlan is subtle, and again has some nice clean guitar over distorted riffs.
The closer, Icnocuicatl, slows way down, approaching funeral doom with extended passages of clean guitar and vocals. They still are sure to throw a breakdown for us before the end though!
Overall, I truly enjoyed this album, especially the tribal bits. As good as this album is, I believe the band has yet to reach their full potential so I will be keeping an eye on them for future releases. In the meantime, I am going to grab a copy of that Mexican flag vinyl!
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Band Links: Facebook | Spotify | Twitter | Instagram
Scribed by: Ben Brackin
