Xibalba – Años en Infierno (Review)

Xibalba are a death metal/hardcore band from the US and this is their fourth album.

Prepare to be crushed! Both 2015’s Tierra y Libertad and 2017’s Diablo, Con Amor…Adios. did precisely this, and now Años en Infierno has arrived to do the same – crush. CRUSH!!!!!

Años en Infierno is massively heavy. Xibalba’s take on heavy music  incorporates elements of death metal, doom, sludge and hardcore, fusing these together with a wealth of 90s influences to create music that just…crushes. There’s no other word as appropriate as this. CRUSH!!!!!

I love that despite the obvious influences in their sound, (think bands such as Obituary, Sepultura, Crowbar, Konkhra, Morbid Angel, Merauder, and Madball), nobody really sounds like Xibalba. On this latest release they have shaped their sound into that of a crushing cudgel; brutal, blunt, and ready to smash skulls. CRUSH!!!!!

Despite the blunt force of the album, and how well Años en Infierno showcases the band’s well-developed metallic hardcore, it also sees them expanding on their doom influences. These infect the music with atmosphere and depth, adding a great deal to Xibalba’s fist-pumping take on crushing heaviness. Closing tracks El Abismo I and El Abismo II are especially notable for even more fully-embracing an atmospheric delivery, and even boast well-performed clean vocals. The end result is probably the band’s most well-rounded and satisfying album to date. CRUSH!!!!!

Hardcore, doom, and death metal rarely collide as brutally or as effectively as they do how Xibalba have smashed them together here. Años en Infierno is crushingly enjoyable. CRUSH!!!!!

Very highly recommended.

CRUSH!!!!!