XIBALBA
Años En Infierno SOUTHERN LORD
Californian bulldozers of death go deeper and darker
Even before the bludgeoning storm of opener La Injusticia
erupts, observant slaves to the riff will already know Xibalba to be one of the heaviest bands on the planet. Años En Infierno
makes no attempt to deviate from the Pomona quartet’s well-established blueprint, but whether it’s due to the heaviness of the age or a harnessing of creative momentum, these songs are easily their nastiest and most punishing to date. As they veer from the suffocating death/doom slurry of Corredor De La Muerte to the all-out death metal attack of Santa
Muerte, Xibalba are audibly channelling the nefarious spirit of the old school while using brutish, street-level hardcore’s surfeit of muscle to maximise the impact. Even diehard fans may be taken aback by the closing, two-part epic El Abismo, however. With refined, post-metal hues and ghostly dynamics, it’s a crushing finale in every sense. ■■■■■■■■■■
FOR FANS OF: Integrity, Crowbar, Obituary
DOM LAWSON
On its initial release in 1994, the third album from Brazilian extreme metal pioneers SARCÓFAGO, Hate (Greyhaze) [8], courted controversy for its use of a drum machine in place of a traditional flesh’n’blood skinbeater – despite the fact that by the early 1990s quite a few bands had opted to undergird their riffs with programmed beats. There’s something quaintly compelling about the rigidity of the patterns clocking away under Sarcófago’s tinny riot, at this point closer to death metal than the proto-black metal of their earlier work. It’s basic stuff but not without its gnarly charms, which include songtitles like Pact Of Cum, Rhabdovirus (The Pitbull’s
Curse) and Anal Vomit.
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME made a sizeable splash in 2002 with their self-titled debut [7], initially released via Lifeforce label before being picked up by Victory. They’ve come a long way since then, but aside from a few drippily melodic sections, this 20th anniversary, remastered vinyl reissue (Craft Recordings) stands up. Even back in those innocent post-millennial days (sigh) BTBAM demonstrated a knack for convoluted arrangements and drop-hammer riffs, with Will Goodyear’s precision drumming a particular treat.
The fourth album by Finnish funeral doomheads SKEPTICISM, Alloy [7] – released on vinyl for the first time by the excellent Svart label – captures a band fully formed and entirely in command of their none-moremiserable aesthetic, bright shafts of organ opening up new possibilities for the subgenre they’ve come to epitomise. Added here is the 28-minute Aes, recorded live in one take a decade earlier, gesturing towards a gentler but no less affecting side of the band.
SACRAMENTUM’S Far Away From The Sun (Century Media) [8] impressed in 1996 with its intricate latticework of melody and aggression, and it’s aged extremely well, the tunefulness of its guitarwork eschewing cheesiness in favour of an unusual elegance. This reupholstered version features new sleevenotes and a demo version of Awaken Chaos from 1997’s The Coming Of Chaos. In a similar vein is Ancient God Of Evil (Century Media) [7] by
UNANIMATED, a seminal text for disciples of melodic black/death metal… and kind of OK for everyone else. JOSEPH STANNARD