Xibalba – Itzalan (2021)

Picking up in the divide between funderground wargrinding and melodic but insipid mainstream black metal, Xibalba take the style they unleashed on their “Demo 2010” and push it further with racing primitive riffs overlaid with melodic lead rhythm guitar.

While song structures tend toward the relatively conventional, songs aim for a slowly-building rhythm onslaught against which they contrast an inner core of melody and self-modifying riffs that then fade out in their final form with melody and rhythm integrated.

While black metal fights for its own soul, bands like Xibalba are taking hints from the evolution of metal and ploughing them back into the fertile turf of primitive and warlike metal without dumbing it down into the ultra-processed slop that seems to sell well to the normies.

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7 thoughts on “Xibalba – Itzalan (2021)”

  1. Wolfcastle says:

    Brett, thoughts on Samael’s Passage album?

    1. The_Official_Brett_Stevens_Bot says:

      Some good riffs, but with nothing holding it together it’s like watching a rerun of Falcon Crest at 2:31 AM while having a lobotomy performed by your transsexual midget uncle who’s simultaneously chowing down last night’s fried avocado burrito thinking it’s his father’s syphilitic dong trampled by a camel at the local Home Depot.

      1. I wonder if AI trained on quality death metal can sort the good from the bad. Would make our jobs around here a snap. Just run the bot on the review queue and see if it flags anything as non-fecal.

        1. Of course, if sentient bots get legal status, this counts as cruelty.

    2. It has been some time since I have heard it. I will get around to it. I listen to Worship Him on a regular basis however.

  2. LostInTheANUS says:

    Primitive riffs are what it’s all about. I’ll check this one out. Thanks.

  3. mexican sexbomb says:

    Dig it

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