In ancient Maya rituals, a ch’ahom was the person who performed the libation or offering — often a priest or ritual specialist who poured liquid offerings such as water, cacao, or even blood in honor of the gods or ancestors. It was a sacred duty, deeply rooted in the belief that the world would remain in balance as long as offerings were made.
So when you come across a Black Metal band bearing such a name and theme, you’d naturally expect these musical shamans to hail from Mexico or another Latin American country. But nothing could be further from the truth: Ch’ahom comes from Essen, Germany — the industrial heart of the Ruhr region, where the smoke of steel factories mingles with the fumes of burnt incense and sulfur.
Among Ch’ahom’s ranks is Goat Primator, who also handles the drums for Sadistic Goatmessiah — a name that will ring familiar to the initiated. The rest of the band consists of like-minded souls who have sharpened their musical blades on the altar of acts like Revenge, Blasphemy, and Archgoat.
Ch’ahom doesn’t settle for being just another act of satanic blasphemy; instead, they delve deep into the ritualistic and blood-soaked history of the Maya — a world filled with war, human sacrifice, cosmic conflict, and offerings to the gods of the underworld. Perfect territory for those who wish to summon the echoes of oblivion through sound.
A few years ago, the band released both a compilation album and the ferocious Knots of Abhorrence, clearly showing where they stood: War Metal in its purest, most merciless form. Their sound is like an ancient temple under siege — chaotic, violent, yet marked by a rhythmic precision that experienced listeners will instantly recognize.
Now, with their sixth demo, consisting of six tracks and clocking in at just over fifteen minutes, Ch’ahom once again proves they belong among the foremost War Metal acts in Europe.
The production is raw and dense but never muddy — a wall of sound in which frenzied riffs, thundering drums, and guttural vocals merge into one hypnotic whole. The tracks flow together almost ritualistically, as if each one represents the next stage in a blood-drenched ceremony.
There is no room for subtlety or melody — Ch’ahom commits fully to sonic annihilation. Yet beneath the chaos lies a sense of order, a ritual structure that pulls the listener into a trance of violence and devotion.
Occasionally, a brief moment of relative calm surfaces — a deep breath between two storms — but those moments serve only to make the next onslaught hit even harder.
While many modern War Metal bands collapse into soulless noise, Ch’ahom retains a clear vision. Their music is not mere racket; it is offering, ritual catharsis, declaration of war, and prayer all in one. It feels as though the spirit of the ch’ahom himself speaks through the amplifiers, pouring blood onto the stone steps of a forgotten temple.
With this release, Ch’ahom proves that Germany is not only home to thrash and industrial, but also fertile ground for esoteric and ritual-laden extreme metal.
Their sound is a dagger that cuts open your soul and offers the blood to darkness — exactly as the ancient Maya priests would have intended.
80/100