May 31st, 2025 - The Dark and Sacred Land of the Jaguar

 

Buenos tardes and happy Saturday evil-doers, metal maniacs and beer freaks!  The Meista here today pairing the killer "Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar", the 3rd full-length studio album by black metal band Yaotl Mictlan and a dark and tasty Cerveza Oscura Dark Cerveza Lager from my friends at the Ogden Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Yaotl Mictlan
• Title: "Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar"
• Recorded: 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Release date: October 30th, 2020 (3rd studio album by Yaotl Mictlan)
• Record company: American Line Productions
• Production: Yaotl Mictlan and Andy Patterson
• Album cover art: Sergio Santamaria
• Personnel: Tlatecatl (guitars and vocals), Tenoch (bass), and Yaotl (drums)
• Guest/session musicians: Martin Espino (prehispanic instrument) and Mazatecpatl (prehispanic instruments)
• Musical style: Black metal with elements of Mexican folk music and hints of progressive metal
• Sound: As with all Yaotl Mictlan outputs, the sound on "Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar" is raw, aggressive, yet wonderfully inventive and honest.  Each track is an absolute powerhouse black metal monster!  Yaotl's machine gun fire drumming is awe-inspiring and Tlatecatl's vocals and guitar riffs are reminiscent of the legendary Norwegian bands of the early '90s, while Tenoch lays day the heaviest of backends!  It will melt your damn face!
• Major themes: Mesoamerican mythology, Mayan gods, folk tales, Mexican history, Indigenismo, evil, darkness, storms, fire, violence, death, rebellion, the underworld, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Entre Lluvias Fuertes"
2. "Coatlicue"
3. "Ba'alche'o'ob"
4. "Tezcatlipoca - Espejo Relumbrante"
5. "K'inich Janaab' Pakal"
6. "Nuevo Fuego"
7. "Búho Lanzadardos - Entrada Teotihuacana"
8. "Sombra Del Mictlán"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ogden Beer Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: http://www.ogdenbeercompany.com/
• Brew: Cerveza Oscura
• Style: Dark Mexican Lager
• Serving:12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.0%
• Pour: The Cerveza Oscura pours an ink black with a billowy, off-white, 1+ finger head with great retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a characterized by roasty, toasty, malty aromas.  There are aromas of dark toasted bread, coffee beans, light cocoa, summer grass, crackery biscuit, light corn, and sweet caramel/toffee.
• Taste: Very well-balanced, the Cerveza Oscura has a nice blend of roasty, toasty malty flavors along with grassy hops with low bitterness.  There are notes of dark roasted malt, barley, light coffee, light, grassy hops, and burnt toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium in body and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very smooth with a crisp and refreshing profile.  The finish is dry and very clean. 

Overall pairing: The Cerveza Oscura is a delightfully dark, yet crushable brew... a great beer for the heaviness and depth of Yaotl Mictlan's brilliant album "Sagrada Tierra Del Jaguar"!  The roasty malt elements are great for the deeply rooted rhythms and cultural depth of the tracks while the light hops lend themselves well to the more aggressive riffs, vocals, and lyrical content.  And of course, Santamaria's fantastic album artwork and cool beer label imagery work very well together.  'Nuff said! 

Salud and hails!!