See, I told you I was gonna be back later in the week.  I couldn’t let Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force slip by me without a review, especially not after the first Tzompantli album from 2022 gave me an actual traumatic brain injury from headbanging so hard.  Tlazcaltiliztli still reigns as some of the most fun, insanely brutal death-metal-by-way-of-hardcore that I have heard in a long time, and who cares if I don’t know how to read anymore?  On Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force, the collective double-down on the dumb-guy riffage and Mesoamerican flavor that made their debut so captivating for me.

Tzompantli is more a collective than a band, and on Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force, that collective now contains a whopping eleven musicians ranging from typical guitars, bass and drums to folk instruments like shakers, percussion and the ubiquitous death whistle.  Led by mastermind Brian Ortiz, the SoCal conglomerate leans on their indigenous roots and shared culture, pulling in a wider variety of instruments and sonic flavors than seen on Tlazcaltiliztli.  Make no mistake about it, though: Beating the Drums doesn’t see Ortiz and company go soft or pull any punches.  This is exactly as menacing and crippling of an album as its predecessor.  The riffs are filthy, disgusting, vile things that on their own would cement this as an album well worth your time, but blend it with stronger cultural themes overall and you have something that is truly great, and very different from what you’re going to get from any other death metal release this year, or ever.

Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force goes out to all the homies who have to take their shoes and socks off to do math.  This is death metal for the dumb guys, for the guys who can’t read good and don’t want to either, or do anything else good for that matter.  The seven tracks on Beating the Drums barely give you any moment to pick yourself up from off the floor before another nasty-ass riff comes flying in from off the top rope to pulverize your skull into a paste of gore and microplastics.  From the death whistle and war chants opening “Tetzahuitl” to the bone-crushing somber sludge of “Icnocuicatl” that bring the affair to a close, the aforementioned force comes at you hard and fast.  It’s extremely easy to tell that almost all, if not actually all, of these musicians have a background in hardcore as well, because they do nothing better at all than chugging on the low strings.  See, for example, the exemplary d-beat hardcore of “Chichimecatl” or the dumb-guy energy of “Otlica Mictlan.”  However, one of the most surprising changes from Tlazcaltiliztli to Beating the Drums is the amount of melody that is actually interjected into the riff assault.  The guitar harmonies are new, but they are a much welcome addition, and they add some necessary levity to a formula that gets pretty goddamn dense at times.  But if you’re here, you probably already know this, and welcome it: the density is the point, not a byproduct.  Still, it’s nice to throw some variety in there, and moments like the twin-guitar melody on “Tlayohualli” show that this outfit is more than just a one-trick pony, even if that trick is really goddamn good.  In addition, longer compositions like “Tetzaviztli” and the previously mentioned closer help show the band is interested in writing songs that are captivating and not just heavy.  Overall, a very strong showing for a sophomore effort.

20 Buck Spin knows death metal, full stop.  This is a death metal album you don’t want to sleep on.  Tzompantli appear to be just getting started, and if you’re not on board the train, you are liable to get pulverized on the tracks.  Or get your skull added to the ceremonial rack.

-Ian

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Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force will be available May 17 on 20 Buck Spin.  For more information on Tzompantli, visit their Facebook page.