Ch’ahom – Anthropic Rites of Sublimation
Release Date: 18th September 2026
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
FFO: Tzompantli, Invunche, Teitanblood.
Review By: Aeons Burning
There’s been a rise in Mesoamerican themed blackened death metal lately, and of the bands that aren’t Nazis (there’s a more disturbing amount of Nazis in this scene than you would imagine) Ch’ahom impressed me with their debut, Knots of Abhorrence back in 2023. The inclusion of Aztec death whistles and other tribal instruments in this punishingly heavy vein of blackened death metal works really well, and helps to really create an air of mysticism as if you’re about to witness a human sacrifice take place. Now, do Ch’ahom manage to succinctly horrify on sophomore effort Anthropic Rites of Sublimation, or have the obsidian blades dulled?
Opening with tribal chants and rhythms on Cult of Xaman, it doesn’t take long for Ch’ahom to begin blasting, as they not only mix blisteringly fast riffs with also more stompy chugs, not unlike labelmates Tzompantli. A noticeable difference on Anthropic Rites of Sublimation compared to Knots of Abhorrence is how much shorter it is at only 30 minutes compared to the 40-minute-long debut. What hasn’t changed is how good each band member sounds, because this is easy stuff to just headbang to, and Anthropic Rites of Sublimation across the album does a really solid job of mixing in the death whistles and flutes and tribal drums, rather than it feeling like a gimmick. However, Ch’ahom in the past have been great at writing more drawn-out songs where ideas are given more room to breathe, and the shorter songs make them end more abruptly instead of letting that same idea continue, most notably on the transition from Priests of Lik’in to Chosen of Chik’in. And unfortunately, the mixing of non-metal ritual sounds turns into a bit of a mess on the closer Insemination, which includes a rather unnecessarily long bit where Ch’ahom is just faffing about that could have had better integration across the song, rather than breaking up the flow as it does.
While I do enjoy Anthropic Rites of Sublimation, I can’t deny that it feels a bit undercooked compared to its predecessor. It’s undeniable Ch’ahom can still write riffs, as that’s not the issue here, but the experimentation they tried needed a bit more polish, because of just how abrupt and jarring some transitions are. However, I fully believe that on album three, Ch’ahom will have honed their craft to the level they can be, it’ll just take a little more time in the oven.
(3 / 5)
