TAZUMAL
NOT DEAD YET
(2-TRACK DEMO TAPE)
Though Tazumal (which means “place of sacrifice” in Nahuatl) sing in Spanish, don't call them a rock en español or Latino punk band. “We play indigenous death metal,” says band spokesperson Xiuhcoatl Tonantzin. “We look at ourselves in the mirror and don't see the European in us.” The Santa-Ana-by-way-of El-Salvador-and-Mexico trio of Atonal Mictlán, Necali Ehecatl and Camazotl manifest this sentiment with Not Dead Yet, a demo that manages to synthesize more than 500 years of genocide and oppression into seven minutes of aural fury. Musically, they have the world-is-a-piece-of-shit sound of Mexican metal legends Luzbel. Lyrically, they attack the biggest enemies of indigenous Latin America, specifically the USA and the Catholic Church. “The Patriot” is your typical burn-the-American-flag ditty, which begins with Tazumal's own version of the Pledge of Allegiance backed by a military drum beat and continues with a blasting of American imperialism via a barrage of hellish guitars and rhythms. “Religión Terrorista” is even faster and contains this soon-to-be-immortal line, aimed squarely at Catholicism: “They don't respect my religion?/Well, they're going to see their destruction, cabrones!” Both “The Patriot” and “Religión Terrorista” are sung in a style that the cover accurately describes as the “jaguar growls” of Mictlán and the “war screams” of Ehecatl. Hey, you'd be angry, too, if your culture were fucked in front of you every day.
INFO: (714) 979-5699; www.geocities.com/tazumal_anahuac.
OC and Long Beach bands and musicians! Mail your CDs and tapes (along with your vital contact info, plus any impending performance dates) for possible review to: Locals Only,OC Weekly, P.O. Box 10788, Costa Mesa, CA 92627-0247.
One Reply to “Jaguar Growls”