Journey to Aztlán: Out Now!

Close your eyes and think of Mexico: the architecture, the food, and, of course, the music. Combine that with symphonic music and the power…the strength that metal has. For me, that’s Cabrakaän.

        – Pat Cuikani, Journey to Aztlán

Something truly remarkable happens when folklore and heavy metal collide.

Heavy metal, in its infancy seen as the devil’s harbinger, has faced a sociocultural evolution lasting decades. Through it, we’ve learned a lot about it: it’s beautiful, aggressive, complex, and completely moldable to an artist’s style. It has as much value and emotional depth as classical music (let’s dive into neoclassical metal some other time). A thousand sub-genres exist within it, not least of which is folk metal. 

Somewhere in metal’s evolution, artists have found ways to integrate their culture within heavy musical styles. That’s where folk metal comes in – bands like Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, Finntroll, Mägo de Oz, Eluveitie, Heidevolk, Arkona, Amorphis, Moonsorrow, and many others empowered their music by integrating culturally traditional instruments, mythologies, folklore, and other elements into their music to explore and express their roots. 

Historically, mainstream metal has taken on the face of Eurocentrism. In the 15+ years I’ve been exploring this sub-genre, it was rare to encounter artists from other areas of the world. Global South regions were unheard of in popular metal culture, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. They were there. Now, in 2023, they’re disrupting the scene to interpret their own cultural histories. Reconnecting with their roots. Decolonizing through their music, intended or not.

We’ve spent the past year writing, filming, and directing a documentary that explores the case of Cabrakaän in this context: a Mexican symphonic folk metal band who now find themselves based in Canada. They’ve encountered plenty of challenges – bureaucratic immigration processes, a pandemic, systemic discrimination, and all of the challenges that come along with being a newcomer in a new country. Through it all, they held on to their roots and planted them in Calgary. Their new album symbolizes a return to their roots – to their homeland – despite the far geographic reaches. 

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished here. I hope you give it a watch – it’s free to stream over on Cabrakaän’s YouTube channel.