Genre: Black/folk metal
Origin: USA
Released: 2006
Website: Yaotl Mictlan
Label: American Line Productions
Uploaded: 09.04.08

At first I was really excited about this album. The few minutes I�d heard previous to receiving a promo were intriguing, and the idea behind the band is without a doubt interesting. Yaolt Mictlan was born to provide an alternative to the ever-growing racist movement within the metal scene as well as in society as a whole. The lyrics are concentrated on tales about the Mayan culture, their struggle against Christianity etc. And since they incorporate several indigenous Mexican instruments, into their otherwise black/death metal related tunes, they really do create an atmosphere. I don�t speak Spanish, so I can�t follow along with the lyrics, but there are translations to �em all.
The trend within the scene when dealing with history has usually been to concentrate on Viking battles (or Slavonic history for the eastern European countries), so it�s always nice to come across bands breaking the trend. Musically this is quite melodic black metal with a tad of death to spice it up, and laced with flutes (among other instruments) of various kinds to get your fantasy going, taking you back to the battlefields where the proud Maya�s took stand against the infesting Christian�s. Blasting drums, roaring throats and raging strings can quickly turn into an epic breakdown, and back again just as quick. The downer with this album is that it�s too long. 70 minutes is just too long. However there�s enough versatility and complexity to be intriguing, but it still becomes exhausting towards the end. If this was a MCD instead of a fullength I would probably have a much easier time trying to keep my attention at a full, but as it is now I tend to tune out every once in a while. But what keeps dragging me back in are the occasional breakdowns where the indigenous instruments take over. Interesting, but too long.

Tracklist:
01. Espejo que humea
02. El gran sacrificio de Quetzalcoalt
03. Aztlan
04. A batalla vamos
05. C�dices
06. Resistencia Itzae
07. Sexto sol a�n naciendo
08. Sangre de vida
09. Guerra Ind�gena
10. Fuego rebelde
11. Anen�cuilco, semillas de rebelion
12. Nuevo sol de Teotihuacan
13. Ca�da del agu�la