Hailing from Lima, Peru, TUNJUM began in 2007 as an all-female project playing pagan-themed death metal. Their first promo tape arrived in 2011, to be followed by another promo in 2014, and later that year the Sagrado tiempo de caos EP and the Muerte ancestral demo. Though the lineup changed during these years, TUNJUM remained committed to their primary influences - Death, Massacre, Autopsy, Treblinka, Nocturnus, VON, Nihilist, Insulter, Grotesque, Asphyx, Expulser, and Genocidio among others - but always endeavored to etch their own uniqueness within such exquisite rawness and darkness. And while that lineup has since ceased to be an all-female one, founding drummer (and now also vocalist) Kultarr continues to guide the band, and her vocals lend a particularly diabolic aspect to TUNJUM's proudly traditional attack.
Since the beginning, TUNJUM's themes have largely revolved around the ancient Moche culture, which reigned over eastern Peru from about 100 AD to 800 AD. Through TUNJUM's music, the listener is drawn into the Moche mythology, which is strongly based on blood: sacrificing the blood of a beheaded enemy to the gods strengthened their reign over the world. Also, there were many voluntary sacrifices, because the bloodshed was seen as a cleansing of the soul that linked the victim to the ancestors and thus made him holy. The name TUNJUM itself is also rooted in the Moche language, and is taken from the combined verb for killing and dying. This hallows the ritual of blood and death, which was the only way of communicating with the gods, in times when the gods only lusted for blood and war.
Indeed, across the 42 minutes comprising Deidades del inframundo, the listener is dragged deeply down into TUNJUM's deadly vortex of blood, sacrifice, and total DEATH METAL. TUNJUM's attack is at once unapologetically primitive and expertly nuanced, which is not surprising considering their current lineup is completed by members of such respected cults as Grave Desecration and Putrid. The hammering surge strips everything down to its barbaric basics, but within that almost-hypnotizing rush of crude 'n' rude Metal of Death lays a keen understanding of what makes this artform so enduring - songwriting that literally possesses the listener immediately, and proceeds to guide each listener into the darkest bowels of the imagination (and beyond...). And it's a totality that TUNJUM pound and punish and pound and punish across each of these eight tracks, with Kultarr's world-eating vocals, in particular, acting like an instrument unto itself; simply, there is no escape.
Completed by suitably ominous artwork courtesy of Alan Corpse, TUNJUM make a grand, garish entry onto the world stage with Deidades del inframundo. The question remains, then: will you return from their thrall?
After having recently written a review for Chilean Death Metal fighters Exanimatvm here is another one of those South American bands (this time from Peru) that have been hiding in the jungle much too long until Dunkelheit Produktionen came along and gave them the chance to present their music to a wider audience. I could just take a big portion of my text for Exanimatvm and copy/paste it as there are more similarities between those 2 bands than distinctions.
Tunjum also play a very rough and dirty style of Old School Death Metal. The sound could be described as basic and primitive which in that case should not come across as negative. The main purpose of “Deidades Del Inframundo” is to satisfy the primal instincts of metal heads looking for something stripped down as counterpart to most stuff being released these days. Generally speaking I am a big fan of the “New Wave of OSDM” with bands like Entrails, Revolting or Demonical releasing albums by taking the old buzz-saw style but embed it in a very modern and powerful production. My cupboard is full of that stuff but once in a while it is refreshing to take out a CD offering something different.
The riffing is taken straight out of the nineties with some really great chords varying from dark and powerful to melancholic and hypnotic. The basic chords get a few small variations throughout each tracks but there are no complete turnarounds or flashy parts. The only major changes within the single songs are some slow-down sections where the music gets a scary and doomy vibe reminding of bands like Asphyx in their slower songs. Those pieces are often highlighted by eerie lead solos that are ramping up the sinister mood. Overall this is an album that has a very dense atmosphere drawing the listener into the music.
For a South American band the drumming feels quite laid-back for major parts. Partially that might be due to the fact that the drums have been mixed a bit into the background to give enough room for the guitars and also the bass which can be heard very prominently. Overall I am satisfied with the production as the sound feels like on a carefully remastered album of the nineties.
One thing that is really outstanding on this record are the vocals. As far as I understood the promo text Tunjum once has been a female only band and the only remaining member is responsible for the vocals. It is hard to believe that the nice looking woman on the band photo is responsible for this extremely deep and violent growls but this is what is stated in the info. Very impressive.
Overall “Deidades Del Inframundo” is a really nice gem and another obscure addition to my collection. I am looking forward to checking out more of this band.
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