When it comes to folk metal, we often think of the artists who pioneered the scene from the late 1990s to early 2010s: Korpiklaani, Finntroll, Ensiferum, Turisas, and Eluveitie amongst others. Their common denominator? Geography. On Aztlán, Cabrakaän remind us that folk metal transcends its European roots – breathing new life into a sub-genre that embraces both the cultural and the contemporary.

Symphonic folk-metallers Cabrakaän joined the Mexican metal scene in 2011, first with a distinctly death metal influence. This can be heard on Songs of Anahuac (2014) and Cem Anahuac My Home (2019), blended together pre-hispanic elements and Spanish / English / Nahuatl / Zapoteco-language lyrics. Enter Aztlán: a grander, symphonicized and matured version of the band’s former selves. 

Tonantzin serves well as a beautifully emotive, percussive and cinematic instrumental introduction to an otherwise heavy album. Representing the Aztec interpretation of Mother Earth, the meditative soundscape is accompanied by a string ensemble to evoke feelings of movement and rising tension through to the beginning of the second (and much heavier) track: Fuego.

Fuego introduces us to the core elements of Cabrakaän. To set the mood mood for an imminent conquest, the song begins with the haunting sounds of a conch: a pre-hispanic shell instrument that produces a highly resonant, booming sound. Immediately following is the high-pitched, piercing sound of the aptly-named death whistle before the music begins.

Highlights include Luces y Sombras, Mictlán, Xóchitl and La Cigarra:

Luces y Sombras, (English: Lights and Shadows) embodies the experience of living in Mexico during colonization: a time of turbulent, violent transition and social upheaval. It explores the ideological and religious conquest that indigenous Mexicans (Mexica) endured, ultimately being woven into contemporary Mexico. The music itself aptly matches the thematic tone through a bombastic combination of live organs, operatic vocals, powerfully fused with death metal: the signature style we’ve come to expect and appreciate from the band. 

Mictlán, an honest-to-goodness metal track, hits all the right pressure points at the album’s mid-point. Xóchitl offers a brief reprieve with a stripped-down, beautiful acoustic Nahuatl lullaby before the album ends on an energetic, folkloric note with a cover of La Cigarra (popularized by Linda Ronstadt).

If you’re not a native Spanish-speaker, rest assured that the music itself is universal. After all, popular folk metal bands like Eluveitie, whose lyrics are often sung in Gaulish (who speaks Gaulish these days?), have successfully reached wide audiences. 

Aztlán serves as a valuable example of how the international metal scene is starting – and should continue – to diversify. If you’re looking to rekindle your love of folk-infused metal, let Cabrakaän’s Aztlán be your spark.

Got an album you’d like us to review? Submit your request to angela@lunarring.ca.