Black metal’s fascination with pre-Christian culture is a constant, but we generally think of Western Europe’s dark, Germanic paganism rather than, well, anywhere else. Yaotl Mictlan, among a handful of (also) very talented others, tap into the myth and mystery which pervaded the area now known as Mexico and the pantheon of deities which ruled the various kingdoms’ beliefs. The god of sorcery and myth, Tezcatlipoca, finds representation in Yaotl Mictlan’s latest single, “Tezcatlipoca – Espejo Relumbrante” (trans. “Tezcatlipoca – Shimmering Mirror”). Finding itself in a mix between progression-based black metal and the atmospheric acrobatics which fall in line as such, Yaotl Mictlan’s latest effort is a mystical example of pre-Christian belief expressed through the black metal vehicle.
“After our last tour in Mexico my brother Tlatecatl (guitar/vocals) and I were meeting for band practice so we could start writing new material,” the band tells Decibel. “We were having a conversation about Mesoamerican folk, on how the Mexican god Tezcatlipoca came down from the sky on a spider web and how he jumped from the web to the ground creating a cloud of fog. He then proceeded to blend in the busy Toltec city wearing a robe concealing his face. The story ends when Tezcatlipoca tricks Quetzalcoatl, the ruler of the Toltecs, and is forced to leave his country only to come back as a god.
Tlatecatl started playing a riff that he says is what he imagined Tezcatlipoca climbing down from the spider web, I loved the riff got on the drums and the inception of this track happened and it set the tone for the rest of the tracks in this new album!”
Sagrada Tierra del Jaguar will see release October 30 on CD and digital formats through Mexico City-based American Line Productions.
