The ehecachichtli, more commonly known as the Aztec death whistle, is utterly creepy. Shaped like skulls, they were apparently used during sacrificial rituals and emitted atmospheric wind-like sounds. Larger modern reproductions make a higher pitched shrieking sound (which may not be true to the original, though we will never know for sure), embracing the death whistle moniker. The sound of it can make one’s skin crawl, and it is somewhat surprising they aren’t utilized more in extreme forms of music. Imagine a band that not only regularly incorporates it, but many other indigenous pre-Hispanic traditional instruments (e.g. conch shell horn, ocarinas, various percussion). This is exactly what Mexican progressive folk death metal band Kalaveraztekah does, who released their latest full length, “Nikan Axkan,” in May (with some of the best artwork I have seen on an album this year!). They take their Aztec seriously, with both their name and song titles in the Aztec language Nahuatl, the lyrical themes based on Aztec lore, and intelligent incorporation of these native instruments while colliding with a groove intensive blackened death metal assault with heavy progressive leanings. You get everything you would expect from death metal: hefty bass, crushing guitars, blastbeats galore, brutal vocals, crazy speed balanced with heavy mid-pace, great guitar solos. What you get in addition to this is seamless melding of the non-traditional elements in ways that complement the rest of the instruments while also adding a very eerie folk atmosphere. At one point you are blazing at a million miles an hour, and suddenly things grind to a halt with flutes, ocarina, and a death whistle making your skin crawl, and then you get back to the heavy with a perfect balance of modern and traditional instruments pummeling your ears. It is definitely one of the most unique releases I have heard in a while, and the more I listen, the more I discover. The song compositions are intricate and complex, with plenty of surprises for the diligent listener.

The song titles are in Nahuatl but have the Spanish translation after in parentheses on the album, with lyrics for each song in Spanish. I am going to just use the Nahuatl titles for brevity.

Things kick off with the title track, which immediately entrenches you in the native pre-Hispanic folk sounds, building a creepy and foreboding atmosphere. After about 90 seconds, you get nice acoustic guitars and percussion as the song slowly builds, layering in electric guitar lead until the band decides to rip your head off in brutal fashion. You get a speedy death metal assault at first, but it gives way to a melodic proggy instrumental section with some occasional brutal vocals before finishing out in death groove fashion. “Tonalli Nawalli” has a creepy intro that is pervasive throughout as the death metal assault hits full swing. This song does a great job of navigating various textures, never really taking its foot off the gas but using dynamics to great effect. It is so cool seeing how the band deftly incorporates the native instruments without them ever feeling tacked on. The atmosphere they create is crucial to the band’s sound, and it is executed so well.

“Xiuhtekuhtli Weweteotl” picks up from the creepy ending of the previous track and continues the ominous vibe, including haunting chanted vocals that carry into the start of the metallic sound. The initial groove incorporates traditional percussion in a cool way before blastbeating into symphonic black metal territory. It gives you another taste of the first section and then hits you with thrashy death and killer guitar solos, meandering its way to a very proggy melodic section that features the first true clean vocals of the album. The ending is very folksy and closes out a terrific track perfectly.

“Yowaltekuhtli” is unique with a spoken word vocal rather than growls. Musically it biases much more toward a progressive fabric, very melodic and folksy while still incorporating blastbeats with both power riffing and blackish tremolo picking. The song does a great job with modern instruments driving the melody and traditional instruments creating a creepy atmosphere. Admittedly the vocal approach was a bit off putting the first time I heard the song, but the musical journey this song creates has now made it one of my favorites on the album, and the unique vocal approach adds to the creep factor. There is a lot going on here, and it is this type of creativity that really makes this album shine.

“Tlazolteotl” demonstrates that when the band wants to unleash and go a million miles per hour, they have no problem doing so. This is easily the fastest and heaviest song on the album, a terrific speedy progressive death metal track with plenty of technical proficiency, great melodies, and plenty of folksy atmosphere. After bludgeoning you for the majority of the track, the ending slows things down to give you a short breather while creating more atmosphere. It is another favorite.

“Wewekoyotl” has an infectious groove permeating the entire song, features really nice bass and ominous lead guitar, and makes you feel like the songs namesake, coyotes, are out in force ready to find you. The song has a cinematic vibe that really makes it feel big and powerful. “Xolotl Axolotl” features a nice flute and drum duet to start, then trades off flute and guitars, before pummelling with a guitar lead forward groove complemented by death whistle. The translation of the song I believe is “The Denial of Sacrifice,” and you can imagine the pain and torture of the ceremony captured by the tribal chants, the constant shriek of the ehecachichtli, and the encompassing ominous atmosphere. This song is “Death metal” at its truest.

“Illwikatl Meztli” is the shortest song on the album, an instrumental (with background spoken word) featuring mostly a folksy feel with a brief heavy interlude. It seems to serve as a transition for the epic closing track, “Xiuhmolpilli.” After a 2-minute cinematic intro, it introduces you to the chorus melody featuring haunting gruff choral vocals over crushing guitars, moves into a doomy section with blackened death vocals supported by traditional instruments, trades off between the two, throws you into a thrashy groove, then treats your ears to a neoclassical influenced guitar solo. It ends with the chorus and driving guitar lead, providing an ominous ending to an incredible album.

This album caught me completely off guard, and given its independent release status and non English lyrics, it is likely criminally unknown. You would never guess it was an indie given the powerful production value. If you like really heavy, progressive, and very unique, you owe it to yourself to give this a listen. 

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