Ancients

To put a powerless cover version on the first position of the track list of “Into the Pandemonium” was one of the strangest decisions in the history of extreme and / or avant-garde metal. Tom G. Warrior’s miserable whining “I’m on the Mexican radio” gave the album’s title a completely new, unexpected meaning. However, now the Mexican radio is playing the new full-length of Xibalba Itzaes – and what do we have to realize? This station still sucks.

No, I apologize, it would not be fair to put Xibalba’s music on the same level as the pop song Celtic Frost loved to cover in a suicidal action. Xibalba breathe the spirit of the true underground and every now and then they are able to create decent or even strong parts. Their unorthodox form of blackness mirrors an individual and more or less original approach. The same goes for the (demo) productions with their almost dominating bass. But an extraordinary mix does not necessarily sound good. The plastic appearance of the guitars is problematic, to say the least, the ridiculously distorted voice is everything but organic and the drums lack vehemence. Yet the biggest problem of the Mexican dudes is their instinct for absolutely amateurish melodies. The first minutes of “Tectum Finatum” sound as clumsy as an elephant trying to play piano. Just because you string different tones together, that doesn't automatically make a melody.

Nevertheless, Xibalba Itzaes take a wild ride through different sounds. The album holds some ritual parts, but the band also does not shy away from a black ‘n’ roll song (“The Crown of Plumes”). Honestly speaking, this piece is completely inadequate in the context of “Ancients”. Apart from this, even its pretty simple riff does not fully convince.

Xibalba Itzaes have an affinity for creating a chaotic overall impression and they are successful in doing so. Unfortunately, the ambitious and brash approach makes no sense at all. The seventh track offers a mega-boring intro followed by an ineffective outbreak of violence lasting about 90 seconds. But it’s not just this tune. Everything sounds weird, disconnected and, despite the best intentions, unfortunately almost amateurish. Maybe my jaded taste doesn't recognise the true greatness of this form of black metal. But the squealing guitars in the opener alone, playing cruelly dull leads, are a harbinger of what is to come. The turbid Hellhammer sounds in the further course of the opener don't help either. Speaking of Hellhammer, wasn't there something about Tom G. Warrior and Mexico?