in youalteteo (gods of the night) is the opening track; it's filled to the brim with varied instrumentation - in fact all of the songs are filled to the brim. perhaps there are one of two 'sounds' that seem a little out of place but arkhanoth have made good use out of their sound-bank.
in youalteteo merges nicely into naguall (the sorcerer). some of the 'synth' sounds seem a little harsh compared to the more 'traditional' sounds - the chanting is a little 'creepy' (but so good and well placed and not overused).
in xipetlanonotza (invocation of the dis-incarnate god xipe) is the third track and slows things down a little bit; it's still a bit crowded but has been mixed so well that nothing is struggling to be heard - there are more creepy voices and chanting (again well placed).
xipetla'toltencuecuepa (dialogue with xipe) is the next track and relates to the previous track - at the start it is more focused on the voices/chanting - the background music is sparse but full of details.
xipe totec tlamanilizli (an offering to xipe) rounds off the triumvirate and there is a little too much going on in parts and changes happen pretty quickly and are rarely repeated; again some of the 'synth' sounds seem a little out of place.
tzacualcuitlatecomiu (the bowels of the pyramid) is track six and seems to stand on its own, perhaps a little too much; it's the least aztec. this is my favourite track though. the start seems a little disjointed; its full of changes of both tempo and musicality
in teoyayao (sacred battles) is the longest track. i feel like it's building to a crescendo but doesn't quite reach it - there are a lot of changes but is a very strong song.
naualmi'totia (the sorcery dance) is the shortest and the closing track. while still busy it is a little emptier than the other tracks and is a good closer.
overall this is an aurally stunning piece of work - some of the instrument sound choices are a little on the odd side and perhaps these could of been brought a little lower in the mix so that they didn't stand out so harshly. it can seem like there are too many things happening at once and too quickly but there is nothing that struggles to catch your attention - you'll probably hear something new with each listen. it is presented well and clearly and mixed well. there is an over-abundance of positive things to say for this release but perhaps some of the ideas could be expanded upon and phrases repeated to lengthen the songs. i didn't get to properly see the artwork but from what i saw it ties in very nicely. this release deserves some attention.
(please excuse any spelling mistakes).
Source - Funereal Drone