What's up Brian! Tzompantli just did a short tour centered around playing the Fire In the Mountains Festival. How was playing that show? It looked incredible and I imagine it was a very special place for you guys to perform!
The fest was amazing! It’s really hard to articulate the experience but it was one of the best shows/performances I have ever been a part of. The fest was truly something special. We’re extremely thankful to the Blackfeet Nation, FITM crew, Fire Keeper Alliance for including us in such a special festival.
To those not yet familiar with Tzompantli, would you give us a brief introduction to the band's lyrical content and musical approach?
We’re indigenous death doom that incorporates native instruments and percussion. We lean into a lot of indigenous history, folklore, rituals, ancestor worship, etc.
Tlazcaltiliztli was a two piece and for Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force you have expanded to a 10 piece band making you the Path of Resistance of death metal! How did this lineup come together?
It is an honor to be compared to The Path! The lineup is made up of my close homies that helped me with live shows. They all remained consistent and really believed in what I was doing so I made them members.
You guys used a lot of instruments not traditionally associated with metal music to great effect on the new album. Could you tell me a little about the instruments you incorporated and the cultural significance of those instruments?
We’re very percussion driven, so we use a lot of Huehuetl, which is a big bass drum that many Náhuatl peoples of Mexico used for ceremonies as well as a teponaztli, which is another percussive instrument that is made from a hollowed out stump and shells/shakers. We also used different native flutes and death whistles and other percussion drums, live congas and additional drum toms to fill out the sound.
You released Tlazcaltiliztli with the fantastic label 20 Buck Spin and now your back with Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force. How has working with 20 Buck Spin been for the band?
It has been great! Dave has done a lot for us! He’s very accommodating and has helped bring my vision to life. It’s truly an amazing label.
So a Tzompantli is a rack used to display human skulls by the Aztecs. Who would be the first three skulls Brian would put on display?
Man, there are a lot but we’ll start with the top three heads of the current administration.
