(A couple of months ago we published Andy Synn‘s enthusiastic review of the new album from Tzompantli [released in May by 20 Buck Spin], and now we follow that with Comrade Aleks‘ interview of the band’s driving creative force, Brian Ortiz.)
Tzompantli began modestly as the death-doom side-project of the Mesoamerican-focused Californian death/metalcore outfit Xibalba’s guitarist. Brian Ortiz recorded the EP Tlamanalli (2019) alone, and now he has a second full-length coming out, as the project turned into a real band and consists of ten people, a couple of whom play folk instruments.
Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force repeats and refines the formula of the first album Tlazcaltiliztli (2022). The band produces vigorous death-doom with an emphasis on death, and in the lyrics, which sound, among other things, in the language of the Mayan Indians. The sound of folk instruments in Tzompantli’s music is natural, and they are indeed present in almost all songs, but they do not take up much space.
Tzompantli are straightforward and quite extreme in comparison with other rare representatives of Mezoamerican metal. We already had a pretty detailed interview here with Brian Ortiz about 18 months ago, so this interview, focused on Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force, is narrower yet honest as always.
Hi Brian! How are you? How does preparation for Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force release go?
I am doing well, thanks for asking. I am excited to get this record released and to share it with everyone.
Tlazcaltiliztli was released just two years ago, and now you have the new full-length album. Moreover, there are eight new members. How did it happen that the band grew so much?
They are close homies of mine that have helped me with performing Tzompantli live. So when I was writing the record, I wanted to include them more by getting their input on songs and adding some fresh new ideas with lead guitars.
So, there are three more guitarists in the band now, and you perform guitars as well. How do you share your parts now? Were all of the new members involved in songwriting?
When we play live I just handle vocals and play the folk/percussion instruments so they handle the guitars. But in the studio, I track all the rhythm guitars and do some leads. They mainly took care of the guitar leads/solos on the record.
Brian, how did you manage to record the new material with such a huge lineup? You have an entire orchestra, so I wonder if you managed everything online or if you visited a real studio somehow?
We got everyone in the studio but not all at once. We did sections of the record with different members which made it not as packed.
Did all new members take part in the composing of Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force?
It was mostly just me. They mainly helped with lead guitars and layering additional folk instruments and percussion.
How much does Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force differ from Tlazcaltiliztli, taking into account all the lineup changes?
I would say that it is a more thought-out record, I did a lot of pre-production and took my time with it. I did a lot of vocal work during my pre-production so that helped. I think you will hear the improvement of the vocals on the record. I feel like we also got the record to sound bigger than the last.
By the way, did you use some new traditional instruments this time?
I kept it about the same as the last record, a lot of percussion, huehuetls, shakers, shells, animal flutes, and death whistles. There are no additional instruments this time but maybe on the next one.
Did you already play with the whole new lineup? Or do you perform the new album live with a more limited set of the band’s members?
Yes, we have played live a few times with this line-up.
Can you tell us about the lyrics of Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force? Did you follow the same themes as with Tlazcaltiliztli this time? Or did you change your approach to it?
There are recurring themes from the last record that are on this one, like indigenous resistance, mythology, history, and folklore. I just tell different stories, that’s the great thing about history and mythology, there is a lot to take from.
You take part in Xibalba, and its new album Aztlán saw the light of day in 2023. What about the new full-length album? Will we have a chance to hear it this year?
Yes, I am proud of that record and people seem to enjoy it. I am sure we will play shows for it this year around the globe in support of it.
Brian, what are your plans for Tzompantli for the rest of 2024?
Hopefully, we will get to play a few shows here and there in support of the new record. What I mainly want is to just share parts of my indigenous heritage and hopefully, people enjoy it and we can make our families, friends and the ancestors proud.
https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/beating-the-drums-of-ancestral-force
https://www.facebook.com/tzompantlidoom/