Mexican Black/Death Metal with a member of Shub Niggurath on Guitar, whose name translates into “Warriors from the land of the Dead”? Si Señor, I’ll have some of that!
"The age of the glorious Quetzalcoatl whose main principles are of tolerance and compassion has to take a step back at the new age of Huitzilopochtli, who led us to victory 700 years ago and who is calling for his warriors once again!"
Since forming in 1998, Yaotl Mictlan have been fighting the good fight against Christianity in Mexico (from their base(ment) in the Land of Mormon). What we have here is a unique blend of Death/Melodic Black Metal mixed with elements of ancient Mexican vibes and tunes, mixed in an awe-inspiring fashion; finding that subtle balance in-between the cross-genre game. The music moves from moments of Bestial War Metal assaults to Melodic Black Metal riffs with Mayan rhythms moving into epic interludes introducing clean guitars, flutes, Aztec-style chanting and drumming. These bits should come out of the blue and sound out of place, but they don't. This is what makes Yaotl Mictlan so damn satisfying and even mesmerizing a listen. It's an album you want to re-listen to immediately after the first go. It’s complex, versatile, but somehow sinks in immediately.
The Spanish vocals translate extremely well into Black/Death metal, there’s a rare power and anger in there, something you don’t get with English. It's a shame I don't speak any Mexican, as this band's lyrical concept seems one of look out for. Along with the Anti-Christian tendencies mentioned above, Yaotl Mictlan also sports “mystical ancestral rituals of the Mexican and Mayan culture”, demanding that Mexico be returned to its ancient masters. It’s filled with mythology, legend and tales of the ancient age of Huitzilopochtli, their “war rituals and sacrificial offerings”. Shamefully I don’t have enough knowledge of their history of comment further.
What we have here is an obscure Mexican Black/Death band who introduce elements of their countries past traditions into the music with an end result feels wholly authentic. They do this without sounding cheesy, instead the entire album has a very sinister overall sound; they mean business here and will cut your throat with a machete knife if you cross them (you f****d with the wrong Mexicans, mate). I would recommend this album to those who are into the above mentioned genres and tired of the lack of new ideas in extreme metal nowadays. Excellent release! With their new 2010 album "Dentro del Manto Gris de Chaac" out on Candlelight, this obscure band (with an unmemorable name) will hopefully finally get the recognition they deserve.
http://www.myspace.com/yaotlmictlan
http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
