16 years on from their second LP ‘Brujerizmo’ the masked, machete wielding, satanic Mexican bandidos are back and on top form with ‘Pocho Aztlan’.
I’ve always been a fan of Brujeria, regardless of who was behind the masks. I remember being told about them in around ’92 when the ‘Machetazos’ EP came out. Now, these were pretty much pre internet days and the buzz about Brujeria was massive.
My mate Dave (we’ve all got one) told me about this band that were a bunch of Satanic Mexican drug cartel members who had to wear masks as they were all wanted by the DEA. Bolstered by some pretty grim artwork and cryptic interviews and press we bought it which made the music that much more interesting and vital.
I’m glad to say that even after the rumours circulated that the band contained some of the most famous names in the death / grind scene (leave it….. I still wanna believe) the music still hit the spot. Aggressive, racially charged and not without a hint of humour, Brujeria always deliver and with their first full length for Nuclear Blast they fully bury their machetes in the heads of their rivals with this album.
With a cracking mix / production job by Russ Russell ‘Pocho Aztlan’ is less raw and more accessible that previous records. Brujeria haven’t gone soft by any means, ninguna manera gemela! They’ve introduced a real fat groove to a lot of the tracks that to be fair was always bubbling under the surface and this makes this record their catchiest and most polished yet. Tribal drumming, fat crunchy riffs and the hyper-aggressive Spanish vocal delivery from Juan Brujo all bring a massive bottle of tequila to the Brujeria party and ensure you’ll be spinning this repeatedly.
Every track is a cracker. Ranging from out and out blasters – ‘No Aceptan Imitaciones’ to Sepultura-esq stompathons like ‘Codigos’. My favourite being ‘Plata O Plomo’ (which translates as ‘silver or lead’ – a famous catchphrase of Pablo Escobar). A dirty bass line leads into an almost rap track with a riff that make you want to stomp around the room with a bandana on swigging Dos Equis before copping off with some putas.
The last track on the album ‘California Uber Aztlan’ is essentially a cover of the Dead Kennedys classic with a hefty helping of crunch.
If you’re a longtime fan of Brujeria or of death metal in general then you’ll love this. If not jódete hijo de puta!
(9/10 Mark Eve)
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