We often speak of music being able to create adventures inside your mind when listening to records, and so many bands are great at accompanying their work with jarring visuals. Being able to transfer yourself somewhere else while remaining in the comfort of your home is a magical experience, one that doesn’t happen every time you play a record. When it does, it develops a bond between you and the music.

The band Ershetu essentially was created to provide cinematic music that can get inside your brain and heart and transfer you somewhere else. Their debut record “Xibalba” is inspired by Mayan folklore and specifically the text Popul Vuh, the sacred narrative of the Kʼicheʼ people that predates the Spanish conquest of the Maya. It contains the Mayan creation myth, the hero twins Hunahpú and Xbalanqué, and their battles with the evil forces of the underworld Xibalba, rich stories and history this band injects with thunderous new life. Formed by Sacr, who created all the music and arrangements, and Void, who is responsible for the concept and lyrics, they teamed up with vocalist Lars Are Nedland (Borknagar), Vindsval (Blut Aus Nord) who contributes bass and additional guitars, and Intza Roca, drums, percussions, xylophone, to fully flesh out this six-track adventure that aims to transport you back in time and add even more tumult and electricity to these tales. It’s not your typical metal record at all, and what this group accomplishes here is stands alone, a soundtrack to ancient times.

“Enter the Palace of Masks” opens with strange chants, flutes, and sounds piercing, the intensity picking up and numbing. The sounds loop as the spiritual elements take a greater hold, voices pulsing before closing out. “From Corn to Dust” bustles with wailed singing and playing that starts to drive forcefully, the pace trudging as the woodwinds whip past your head. Full-throated calls increase the drama as deathly forces engulf, adding a level of deviousness as the percussion rattles your bones. “The Place of Fright” starts atmospherically with clean singing layering, and then the song blows open as the strangeness multiplies, strings working their way through the stars. The singing pushes as your blood pressure spikes, a spirited force gets underneath you and raises you up, and a lush, yet thunderous passage and chants burrow into the earth.

“Cult of the Snake God” is eerie as static spits, picking up blazing steam as empirical synth rains down, the drumming loosening rock. Glorious blasts and boisterous calls mix, the emotions rushing to the surface, and guitars hang in the air. The playing hammers with regal force, sounds swell, and a rousing finish makes your heart pump harder. “Hollow Earth” begins amid sounds deeply humming, great energy, and howls that aim to gut you. Shrieks maim as a woodsy ambiance makes it feel like you can hear leaves crunching under your boots, and then we run headlong into black metal horrors. Huge strings give off a cinematic hugeness, singing swells, and the energy peaks before fading. Closer “Tunkuluchú” rains down as chants embark, percussion blasts, and storms crackle, paving the way for a driving force. Savage howls meet up with grisly wails, the playing encircles, and dramatic dashes rupture peace, making it feel like the planet is tilting. Synth and strings stir, vicious howls get caught up in the storm, and powerful drumming and slinking xylophone send everything out into the soaking rains.

“Xibalba” is more than just a record; it’s an atmospheric adventure that goes beyond thrashing you with metallic power and sonic brutality. Ershetu take you on a journey, one you practically can envision in your mind as you absorb these six tracks. This is perfect autumnal soundtrack music when nature is at its colorful apex, and the crisp winds and colder weather reunite your soul with raw natural spirit.  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/ershetu

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/