Metalcore is one of the more divisive tags in the world of heavy music; labelling bands like The Devil Wears Prada or August Burns Red with this term causes huge controversy within the metal and hardcore communities. But there are still a few bands out there who want to show the true meaning of this word. Californian ensemble Xibalba are a great example how mixing metal and hardcore can produce devastating results.

Xibalba’s previous two albums, Madre Mia Gracia Por Los Dias and Hasta La Muerte (both Southern Lord) had shown great potential, with the band picking up right inspirations from both doom and death metal worlds and adding a great deal of heaviness to hardcore grooves. However their monolithic density was a tad over-used and at times became slightly monotonous.

Although the mix is not as condensed as on the previous LP’s, make no mistake Tierra y Libertad (Southern Lord) takes no prisoners – it’s a crushing conglomerate of death, sludge metal and hardcore and a massive step forward for Xibalba. Those super-heavy riffs have been retained but with a more creative use of dynamics.

Xibalba continues to create their own style, richly drawing on the ferocity and brutality found in the works of Morbid Angel, Asphyx and on the early Machine Head albums. Mid-paced tempos are as crushing as on any Incantation or Crowbar album. Tierra y Libertad concludes with almost 13-minutes ‘El Vacio’, a sludge/doom-metal orgy with a touch of Neurosis – a perfect ending for this behemoth of an album.

Recorded with Taylor Young of Nails and Twitching Tongues, the man also responsible for the sound on their last album, the production is rich and thick – proof positive, that you don’t change a winning formula.  Tierra y Libertad is an album that will redefine the perception of modern Metalcore: a ferocious dose of venom and bile which will shatter barriers between doom, sludge and hardcore which will gain favour with fans of both scenes.

8.0/10

Xibalba on Facebook

ARMEN HACZMERIAN