Brujeria

Brujeria function as a ferociously intense rock outfit whose sound straddles the line between grindcore and death metal while simultaneously operating as an underground performance-art provocation. Publicly they present themselves as the bosses of a Mexican narcotics-trafficking organization willing to resort to mutilation and homicide to safeguard their territory. Appearing always in masks, the musicians channel a worldview steeped in violence, narcotics, and devil worship. In reality the cartel identity is a knowingly transparent fabrication; the project originated in 1989 as a clandestine collaboration among established metal and punk figures who adopted the personas to heighten theatricality and deliver caustic satire, first unveiling the characters on the 1993 album Matando Güeros. Because the participants maintained heavy outside commitments and the roster fluctuated, extended intervals separated most releases, yet the 2016 record Pocho Aztlan was succeeded with relative speed by the 2023 set Esto Es Brujeria, whose tone remained savage and doom-laden.

The Spanish term for witchcraft, Brujeria coalesced that year in Los Angeles. Founding members included frontman Juan Brujo, also known as John Lepe; guitarist Asesino, real name Dino Cazares and already recognized from Fear Factory; bassist Güero Sin Fe, the Faith No More stalwart Billy Gould; and drummer Fantasma, aka Pat Hoed, later a wrestling commentator and radio personality. Early performances also featured Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra under the alias Pito Wilson; although Biafra exited quickly, he issued several Brujeria 7-inches on his Alternative Tentacles imprint. Their first single, “¡Demoniaco!,” surfaced in 1990. A follow-up, “Machetazos,” arrived in 1992 after Pinche Peach assumed the second vocal slot vacated by Biafra and Greñudo—Fear Factory’s Raymond Herrera—took over drums while Fantasma shifted to additional vocals. The band’s debut LP, Matando Güeros, appeared the next year; its sleeve displayed a graphic, genuine photograph of a decapitated head, underscoring the group’s commitment to extremity. Guitarist Hongo, the Napalm Death member Shane Embury, joined for that recording.

Raza Odiada, released in 1995, intensified the political edge; its title track assailed California Governor Pete Wilson, whose immigration stance had drawn accusations of racism within Mexican-American circles, and included a cameo from Biafra mimicking Wilson’s voice. Another track, “La Ley de Plomo,” unexpectedly received late-night MTV exposure. Still functioning purely as a studio entity owing to scheduling constraints, Brujeria finally performed live for the first time in January 1997 at the Whisky A Go Go; excerpts later surfaced on the 2000 EP Marijuana.

The third album, Brujerizmo, arrived in 2000 and introduced vocalist-guitarist Pititis (Gaby Dominguez), guitarist Cristo de Pisto (Jesse Pintado of Terrorizer and Napalm Death), and second drummer Hongo Jr. (Nicholas Barker, formerly of Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir). Critics responded favorably and sales reached a new peak. A 2001 compilation, Mextremist! Greatest Hits, gathered B-sides and fan favorites, yet a successor LP remained elusive. The band mounted its first full tour in late 2003, routing from Chicago to Guadalajara; that same year another anthology, The Mexicutioner! The Best of Brujeria, was issued. A 2004 trek reached South America, but internal tensions prompted Asesino and Güero Sin Fe to depart, with Fantasma assuming bass duties. After a hiatus the group resumed live work in 2007 while new material trickled out on occasional singles.

In 2016 they issued the satirical single “Viva Presidente Trump!” targeting the Republican nominee’s remarks on undocumented immigrants. September brought the long-delayed fourth album Pocho Aztlan, recorded by Juan Brujo, Fantasma, Hongo, Pinche Peach, Hongo Jr., Pititis, El Cynico (Jeffrey Walker of Carcass) on bass and guitar, and A. Kuerno (Chris Paccou, a former engineer for Napalm Death and Carcass) on guitar. Following Trump’s election the band returned to the subject on the 2019 single “Amaricon Czar,” whose B-side “Lord Nazi Ruso” addressed Vladimir Putin; the pandemic inspired the 2020 track “COVID-666.” Both songs reappeared on the fifth album, Esto Es Brujeria, which also contained a sludgy reading of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine,” the song Eric Clapton popularized in 1977. Secondary vocalist Pinche Peach, born Ciriaco Quezada, died on July 17, 2024, at age 57.