In recent times, there have certainly been some trends that have been cropping up throughout the underground. Whether it be certain styles making their moves towards the psychedelic or some sounds really exploring what all they have to offer in bold new ways, it’s only natural that some would catch on while others would become quite niche. Lately, we’ve been seeing a number of acts come around who try to bring a spotlight to the cultures of long-past Indigenous American. Acts like Ch’ahom and Blackbraid are but the first two that come to my mind with there always room for more as we slowly discover what this corner is capable of. In no small way, Tzompantli has never been an act to dismiss when it comes to this theme with it being their newest effort in particular that stands out quite a bit.

The very concept of tackling this kind of theme should be a real no brainer, if you ask me. Many of the concepts about what we know of indigenous cultures lends perfectly to much of what metal is capable of even if it means stretching the truth a little bit. It’s through such clear potential that we’re able to get crazy works that hold nothing back and have naught to offer but the highest levels of intensity and quality. Tzompantli is but the latest in that trend not just for their thematic niche, but death-doom as a whole. The genre itself needs no help in its current state, but so long as we’re getting offerings like “Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force” then I cannot help but feel as though death-doom will always be a place of sheer magnificence. A simply titanic creation that seeks blood flow down the sides of Meso-American pyramids and desires the sound of rituals amongst the dense jungles, “Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force” is brutality unbound. Damn near everything about this record is spot-on and nothing to be denied in any possible form. From its devastating heaviness that lends masterfully to the shifting pace from blood-frenzied speed to sadistic patience, the bloodthirst of Tzompantli is terrifying to bear witness to as the sheer power of what we’re dealing with here is nigh on bone-chilling from beginning to end.

Truly larger than life and with more than enough excellence than what I can ever hope to put properly into words, the absolute menacing nature that’s to be found throughout the entirety of “Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force” must be experienced in order to be believed. Death-doom metal has made quite a push this year already, and Tzompantli makes a wild claim for the throne for all that the genre will bring forth by the end of the year.

LISTEN to “Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Tzompantli on Facebook here.