Review by Vanass on May 17, 2020.

Anyone blessed with the slightest gift of an interest in today's growing heavy hardcore scene will surely recognize Xibalba as one of the already established bands with a solid release catalog. Talking about such a giant, it's for sure that you don't have to suffer a lack of professionalism in their musicianship when you listen to their stuff.

As one of the biggest enemies of intros and as someone who would like to start a petition to ban them permanently, I definitely can't say that I was impressed by the synth intro, which resembled the atmosphere of the horror movies of the 80s. It was just annoying, and I can't really explain what such a piece of kitschy noise does on a record so deeply rooted in punk. Fortunately, it doesn't take more than twenty seconds before the sonic attack of the first track 'La Injusticia' begins.

The good news is that there is a decent layer of doom metal to be found here. Admittedly, metallic hardcore is not really known for its melodies for obvious reasons... there aren't any. The doomy vibes build up an atmosphere which is a pretty good way to make the whole album sound darker and more sinister, adding extra quality to the dominant energy- and aggression-driven sound. The vocals are barely understandable, very raw, and are somehow in the midfield in terms of power and vocal range. Although I'm almost one hundred percent sure that if I had heard them outside of this musical context they would come in and out through my ears like shit, the simple fact that they fit the music completely makes the whole experience quite enjoyable.

I can't get around the fact that this album is just primitively said quite heavy. The riffs vary mostly from slow, doomy parts to death metal riffs in medium tempo with occasional drifting to even faster tempos. Low tuned guitars and absolutely successful cooperation with the drums seem to be the formula of these guys. You can hear their best on the rather punky riffs, whereas drummer Jason Runes does an incredible job with his perfect timing and a quite pleasant fast rhythm. The elements that are associated with hardcore are absolutely masterly executed and are definitely the more pleasant side of this release.

Despite the fact that the technical execution is almost perfect, there is one big problem. The guys tried their best to create something new from track to track, and in the end, they succeeded, but the doomy elements, which surely are a nice element of the whole from time to time, come at the expense of a strong reduction of the pacing, which made the whole thing quite forgettable at some points. There are tracks like 'Saka', in which nothing interesting happens for almost two minutes, and this isn't just an isolated case. This could have been a flawless release, but the lack of ideas at certain points cannot be ignored and it strongly disturbs the whole listening experience.

Nevertheless, this is still an above-average release with some highlights like the groovy punk parts. I would definitely recommend getting this album or at least checking out the tracks 'La Injusticia' and 'El Abismo II'. And now stop wasting your time with trivial things like reading and listen to some metal.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Fernando on June 25, 2019.

Swedish black metal outfit Valkyrja are an interesting band to talk about for a variety of reasons, primarily how often they’re compared to their fellow Swedes Watain in sound and style. However, while the influence is there, their third album is proof that the band are on the right path to develop their own voice.

The main aspect to note in this album is how the music is a marked departure from the traditional sound and style of Swedish black metal. The band opts for a sound that’s less melodic and complex for a more aggressive and haunting, combining mid pace tracks that build momentum and then explode in a deluge of violence and darkness. The big standouts in this album are tracks like "Madness Redeemer" and "Betrayal Incarnate" where this dark crescendo style is on full display and glory.

However while the style is much more straightforward, most likely in an attempt to quash the Watain comparisons, the band still manage to add solos and riffs that would please any fan of the more melodic-centric side of black metal pioneered by the Swedish forefathers of the style. The guitar work by Simon Wizén while fairly standard for black metal is not devoid of finesse and technical prowess, as mentioned before, the album is not completely devoid of melody, instead of it being the focus its present more as supplement to enhance the music. The other major standout is the drum work by Jocke Walgren of Amon Amarth fame, he displays the mandatory blast beats with great efficiency but is also able to show his more complex side in the bridge sections of songs where the focus is on keeping the initial momentum of the more aggressive side of the music.

All that being said, while the album has the right ingredients and puts the band on track to stop wearing their influences on their sleeves there’s still the elephant in the room and the main reason why they’re constantly compared to Watain: the vocals by former singer Andreas Lind are extremely reminiscent of Erik Danielsson if not nearly identical and this is the biggest detriment to the album as a whole. While it can be partially ignored thanks to the excellent performances by the rest of the band anyone who is familiar with Watain will immediately notice the similarity and it sticks out like a sore thumb. As a whole the album is very good, but the vocals are its biggest flaw and it would take to not think about them to fully enjoy it.

Best tracks: "Madness Reedemer", "Eulogy (Poisoned, Ill and Wounded)", "Treading the Path of the Predator"

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Fernando on June 25, 2019.

Swedish black metal outfit Valkyrja are an interesting band to talk about for a variety of reasons, primarily how often they’re compared to their fellow Swedes Watain in sound and style. However, while the influence is there, their third album is proof that the band are on the right path to develop their own voice.

The main aspect to note in this album is how the music is a marked departure from the traditional sound and style of Swedish black metal. The band opts for a sound that’s less melodic and complex for a more aggressive and haunting, combining mid pace tracks that build momentum and then explode in a deluge of violence and darkness. The big standouts in this album are tracks like "Madness Redeemer" and "Betrayal Incarnate" where this dark crescendo style is on full display and glory.

However while the style is much more straightforward, most likely in an attempt to quash the Watain comparisons, the band still manage to add solos and riffs that would please any fan of the more melodic-centric side of black metal pioneered by the Swedish forefathers of the style. The guitar work by Simon Wizén while fairly standard for black metal is not devoid of finesse and technical prowess, as mentioned before, the album is not completely devoid of melody, instead of it being the focus its present more as supplement to enhance the music. The other major standout is the drum work by Jocke Walgren of Amon Amarth fame, he displays the mandatory blast beats with great efficiency but is also able to show his more complex side in the bridge sections of songs where the focus is on keeping the initial momentum of the more aggressive side of the music.

All that being said, while the album has the right ingredients and puts the band on track to stop wearing their influences on their sleeves there’s still the elephant in the room and the main reason why they’re constantly compared to Watain: the vocals by former singer Andreas Lind are extremely reminiscent of Erik Danielsson if not nearly identical and this is the biggest detriment to the album as a whole. While it can be partially ignored thanks to the excellent performances by the rest of the band anyone who is familiar with Watain will immediately notice the similarity and it sticks out like a sore thumb. As a whole the album is very good, but the vocals are its biggest flaw and it would take to not think about them to fully enjoy it.

Best tracks: "Madness Reedemer", "Eulogy (Poisoned, Ill and Wounded)", "Treading the Path of the Predator"

Rating: 8.5 out of 10