When it comes to Death, most people are speechless and something inside them breaks.
At other times,the topic inspires immensely with its mysterious veil, and from this inspiration are born works that create enchanting soundscapes that provoke the senses and expand the boundaries of consciousness through their cinematic atmospheres.

One such case is ‘Xibalba’ – Ershetu’s debut album. Inspiring project  of two friends – Void (concept & lyrics) and Sacr (songwriting & arrangements),with the appearance of like-minded musicians Vindsval (Blut aus Nord, Forhist), Intza Roca and Lars Are Nedlan (Borknagar, Solefald, ex-Carpathian Forest). The album was released at the end of October via  Debemur Morti Productions, and after the first few listenings, the work managed to throw an anchor in my mind with a decent amount of the elements brought to the table.

First of all, we are not talking about just a music album here at all, but about a complete conceptual aural journey several eras back in time, among the sacred temples of the archaic Mayan civilization, conveying their perception of death through music.
The concept of the end of the human  earthly path is perceived differently in different parts of the world and is a long topic of conversation – some mummify the bodies of their deceased loved ones in honey (some Arab countries in the past), others absorb them through cannibalism (the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea), but whatever the way of dealing with this end is , there is one thing in common that binds them all – the belief in an afterlife and the ritualistic aspect of the passing  in the Underworld.

The Mayan culture is extremely sublime and mysterious in this regard. In their sacred book „Popol Vuh“, there is an ancient legend that describes the path of the souls of the deceased, which was terrifying and filled with countless challenges. The spirit of each of them had to travel the way to the afterlife in Xibalba – the afterlife or underworld, passing through a cruel and dangerous labyrinth and a river, assisted by a dog (xoloitsquintle) who could see in the dark. It is mostly  from here that they draw their inspiration and Ershetu, following the texts of „Popol Vuh“ and other sources, succeed to create an almost 43-minute immersive cinematic atmosphere filled with majestic classical orchestrations, soulful and expressive vocals combined with thin black metal elements, folk instruments and psychedelia.

The traditional Mayan temple flute sounds at the beginning of the album’s first track – ‘Enter the Palace Of Masks’, quickly followed by a deep ambient orchestration intertwining with Lars’ ethereal vocals soaring through space. The sound progresses as we gradually find ourselves in the middle of an authentic ritualistic intense atmosphere that may quite literally cause some of you to hallucinate. Everything described escalates in the next part of the story – „From Corn To Dust“, which carries with it a deep and massive charge – passionate drums and fierce vocals take over the soundscape,creating a very  haunting sonic environment, amidst which  contrasting ethereal moments such as the rapturous dissolution of the ritualistic flute into the vocals appear, complemented later by his  soaring ritualistic chants and clean vocals. With an extremely rich palette of sounds and moods, the song allures you to understand the meaning.

In the next four separate chapters of the adventure, already immersed in the nature of the album, we find ourselves in a moment of weightlessness that leads us among epic orchestral compositions, beautiful and at times extremely mesmerizing and substantial instrumentals (Vindsval’s guitars are clearly recognizable, especially in the song “ The Place of Fright“), surrounded by ritualistic atmospheres, unfolding before us a distant and  ancient world full of mystery. And all this ends with the song „Tunkuluchú“, announcing „the end“, „the death“ – among the Mayan legends, „tunkuluchú“ is a bird that announced their last breath with its song…

There is nothing accidental about „Xibalba“. Everything – from the choice of title of each of the songs to the last  trembling of  the percussion, has been carefully selected and combined with the idea to recreate in the most authentic way possible the transition to the other world through the prism of the ancient Mayan civilization, to help us transport ourselves in another place & time.

Cinematic, thought-provoking and bursting with outstanding orchestral compositions, Ershetu’s debut is a special treasure that stands out with its strong identity in the musical world. Quite frankly, I don’t think you can hear and experience this kind of feeling in another black metal album. Within minutes, you are given the opportunity to dive in and fully immerse yourself in a mysterious and distant world that guides you along the way with mesmerizing vocals, engrossing percussion and drums, immersive guitars, contrasting accentuating folk instruments – all creating a fascinating ritualistic  and majestic atmosphere. In case you haven’t had the chance to visit the Palace Of Masks or any of the other arcane temples around the Mayan lands, Ershetu can take you there. Just dive in…

Score: 10/10

Listen to  „Xibalba“ below:

Album: „Xibalba“
Band: Ershetu
Label: Debemur Morti Productions
Release date: October 27th, 2023
Order link: https://bit.ly/45Yff2r