Cabrakaän – ‘Aztlán’: When metal meets Mexican folk music!
Cabrakaän present their album titled Aztlán. The band from Mexico combines metal with Mesoamerican folk music. Cabrakaän have completed their record titled ‘Aztlán‘. The album contains a unique blend of music with metal elements and Mexican folk music.
By Dimitris (Bari) Polyzois
The Cabrakaän completed their album titled 'Aztlán'. The album contains a unique combination of music with metal elements and Mexican folk music. The result will surprise you!
Cabrakaän are a Mexican-Canadian folk metal band who moved from Mexico to Canada.
The band was formed in 2010 in Mexico by the composer, drummer/percussionist, black/death metal screamer and producer Marko Cipäktli and the classically trained soprano singer Pat CuikaniInspired by their shared love for the diversity of Mexico's indigenous languages and cultures, the at-first-glance mismatched duo combines a passion for raw metal with the addition of folk music and opera.
In folk metal, we've all gotten used to thinking of the Middle Ages or hearing thrilling tales from the age of the Vikings. With Cabrakaän, who now consist of multinational musicians from Mexico, Colombia and Australia, based both in Mexico and in Canada, Mexican ancestors and their deities find a voice – strong, colourful, hungry, passionate and always aching.
A gang of the guided, the explorers and the cultural ambassadors.
The disruptive nature of their own ancestral roots reaches as deep into the Mesoamerican culture of the Mexica/Otomi as it does, at the same time, into the Spanish culture of their oppressive conquerors. The pull of the disreputable – the denied world of the Aztecs (Mexica), the Toltecs, the Otomi and the Mayas – gets a fair shot at becoming a place of anticipation for metalheads. Finally, because even in today's era of empowerment, acknowledging pre-Hispanic roots remains taboo in large parts of Mexican society.
A very particular combination of elements!
'Aztlán' is a truly unique record. By combining elements of Mesoamerican music and metal, the result is a set of tracks that not only impress, but also carry a very distinctive aesthetic. All of this, combined with the outstanding vocals, gives off a strong whiff of Mariachi! This modern approach to Mexican music is so authentic that it takes you on a journey.
Listening to the record, the listener travels. You become part of a Mexican film. Based on the uniqueness of its elements and their distinctiveness, we could say that 'Aztlán' is one of the best records we've heard! It's worth giving it a chance to win you over with its melodies!
Tracklist:
1 Tonantzin
2 Fuego
3 Tlaloc
4 Luces y Sombras
5 Malintzin
6 Mictlán
7 Yolot
8 Xóchitl
9 La Cigarra
10 Mictlán (English Version)
11 Fuego (English Version)
12 Luces y Sombras (English Version)
The band consists of:
Pat Cuikani – Vocals
Marko Cipäktli – Drums, Rough Vocals
Alex Navarro – Lead Guitars
David Saldarriaga Tobón – Rhythm Guitar/Bass
Chellan Hoffman – Live Organs
Reed Alton – Guest Vocals (La Cigarra)
