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Xibalba-Tierra_Y_Libertad-CD-FLAC-2015-CATARACT
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ARTIST : Xibalba STOREDATE : 00-00-2015
ALBUM : Tierra Y Libertad RIPDATE : 02-11-2015
YEAR : 2015 RUNTIME : 43:24 min
GENRE : Hardcore LANGUAGE : English
LABEL : Southern Lord GRABBER : EAC Secure
SOURCE : CDDA ENCODER : FLAC 1.2.1
QUALITY : 983 kbps Avg 44.1kHz 2 channels SIZE : 320.5MB
URL : http://tinyurl.com/nxftpqx TRACKS : 8 Files
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01 Enemigo 4:37
02 Guerrilla 3:02
03 Invierno 4:22
04 Pausa 1:19
05 En Paz Descanse 6:36
06 Tierra Y Libertad 5:01
07 Si Dios Quiere 5:44
08 El Vacio 12:43
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43:24 min
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│ │
│ │
│ Hasta La Muerte, the last album from Southern California death │
│ metal/hardcore hybrids Xibalba, showed a group challenging their │
│ peers to step up the heaviness while never losing sight of their │
│ humble beginnings. It sounded as though a hardcore band got locked │
│ in their rehearsal space with only their gear, Obituary's Cause of │
│ Death, and Crowbar's Broken Glass to pass the time. Muerte was less │
│ cerebral than death metal, meaner than sludge, and unsubtly │
│ knuckle-dragging and proud of it. Beneath Xibalba's ultra-tough │
│ exterior was a desire to advance their sound, even by adding armor │
│ to their older vessels. "Cold", which started out on a split with │
│ World of Pain and Ruckus as a chugging mosh song, became a hulking │
│ riff mass with Greg Anderson's guidance and additional guitars. The │
│ band emerges as an even more confident war machine with Tierra Y │
│ Libertad, streamlining their sound, cranking the tempos, and tipping │
│ the balance towards death metal. If Muerte was the beginning of the │
│ workout process, Libertad is where they come out swole as hell. │
│ │
│ Where does this newfound vigor come from? Xibalba have clearly been │
│ studying the British death metal band Bolt Thrower's move from grind │
│ to death, and unlike crusties who lean towards metal, not just their │
│ rawer 1988 debut In Battle There Is No Law! Many of the album's │
│ faster moments sound not unlike 1991's grind-ditching War Master, │
│ and Xibalba's development mimics Bolt Thrower's on that as a whole. │
│ "Enemigo" establishes the album's direction promptly and with no │
│ mercy; that chug is undeniable. Most of the record is carried out │
│ with similar intent; the confidence in their playing cannot be │
│ overlooked. It's not just that they add more solos, it's that │
│ they've found a way to advance beyond listing their influences. │
│ Xibalba's penchant for groove is still evident even though their │
│ dances have become quicker and deadlier, which is primarily why │
│ these songs carry. "Invierno" has bounce for days, the closest death │
│ metal can get to being funky. The ending riff of "Si Dios Quiere" is │
│ just disjointed enough to sound a bit hazy, but still packs that │
│ hardcore punch, making for a beatdown whose impact you'll remember │
│ better than the conflict that set it off. It's hard to believe that │
│ Xibalba were the same band that made Madre Mia Gracias Por Los Dias, │
│ their 2010 debut whose production sounds downright anemic compared │
│ to Nails drummer Taylor Young's work on Libertad. │
│ │
│ Muerte was primarily conceived for rough-housing, and few modern │
│ hardcore records serve that purpose better, but Xibalba also gave │
│ into a bit of experimentation. Some ideas worked better than │
│ othersùthe female vocals on "Mala Mujer" gave a new dimension to │
│ Muerte's agony, but instrumental piece "The Flood" was plodding │
│ along in search of a breakdown. Libertad's instrumental piece, │
│ "Pausa", is much shorter and serves primarily as a lead-in for "En │
│ Paz Descanse". Xibalba's restraint in this aspect pays off, as the │
│ focus stays on the death metal muscle. They only really extend │
│ themselves on Libertad's closer, "El Vacio". A lot of the sludge │
│ influence comes back on this song; most of it sounds like Pallbearer │
│ going back to basics, with dreary cleans and especially deep, │
│ longing vocals that could be on the next Skepticism record. │
│ │
│ "Vacio" is Xibalba at their most alienated, and while they've never │
│ been more sure of themselves musically, there's hints throughout │
│ that they really want to shake up and challenge their audience. Most │
│ of the record looks inward, but "Guerilla" speaks of violent │
│ revolution with no uncertain terms. Vocalist Nate Rebolledo's call │
│ for unity against oppressors isn't a whisper: "I'm not a spick, a │
│ nigger, a cracker/...I am the pissed off human race/ We are here to │
│ scream 'fuck you!'" His vocals are the most obvious remnant of │
│ Xibalba's hardcore days, and they're needed for a direct │
│ proclamation such as this. And it's just the thing fans of hardcore, │
│ death metal, and, really, any form of heavy music need to hear more │
│ of. │
│ │
│ Hardcore waxes on and on about brotherhood and sticking together, │
│ and isn't opposed to using violent metaphors to express such │
│ sentiments, but Rebolledo is speaking on a grander scale than bros │
│ looking out for bros. That may be harder to take than an accidental │
│ punch in the face at one of their shows. Some punk kid may cry │
│ "ACAB" because he got written up for open containers, but there are │
│ many who don't get off that lightly. Dan Seagrave's artwork for │
│ Libertad is another one of his classic dystopian war scenes, but │
│ Xibalba's war is not literal: it's about what your expectations of │
│ them might be, it's about pushing the limits of hardcore, it's about │
│ combating apathy. Helps when you've got sick riffs on your side. │
│ │
│ NOTE: track 7 mislabeled on discogs.com url we provide u the correct │
│ title. 6/7 tracks are english , track 6 is in spanish language. │
│ confusing i know ;-) │
│ │
│ --Enjoy │
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CATARACT: CLOUDING YOUR VISION