Brujeria emerged, shrouded in mystery and infamy, in 1989. Forcefully introducing phrases like Matando Güeros, La Migra, and Marijuana y Brujerizmo, the brutal death-grind band from Mexico came to represent the notoriously violent world of illegal drug trafficking, vicious retaliation, and a sinister syncretism between Afro-Caribbean sorcery like Palo Mayombe and Santeria with outright demonic possession.

Brujeria makes the metal version of the corrido, a traditional Mexican song style built on storytelling. The narratives cover everything from history to daily life for outlaws. In Brujeria’s case, the narrator’s tales range from outright murder of the oppressor to drug deals gone wrong. On Esto Es, their blistering new platter, they spin stories about everything from being Party Boss to a first night in jail.