Akatoxkatl Martinez and Blood Dance from Mexico City are one of the most exciting new talents in the modern darkscene. I reviewed the single Wicked King in 2022 and was immediately struck by the craft and passion. The best goth music comes from artist with a message bubbling out of their souls. Blood Dance embodies that deeper meaning and inner fire. This record is pure death rock spread over infectious dance beats. If you are going to bring old soul death rock into the modern world, get a producer that is a legend of the sound like Franck Amendola of Corpus Delicti.
Walk the Night – Album | Blood Dance
Physical, organic, and raw this record stalks you with a hunger. It has an energy that moves you on the dance floor, but you can hear that no attention was given to making pop singles. This is the grimy filthy batcave sound that drew the weird kids out of their caves and into the underground. A devil may care attitude that roars punk anger as much as goth macabre. Akatoxkatl‘s voice is haunting, full of gothic beauty. Yet never far from a snarling menace beneath the surface.
Favorite Tracks:
Baptism – “We’re gonna rise up now and scream revenge We’re gonna come down on them like four horsemen We’re gonna rise up now and scream bloody revenge” This is an absolute slow crawl banger. There is nothing more goth than iconism. This track does the soul and pageantry but flips the script with a faith much older than Catholicism. I love than downbeat synth lines. The vocals rise and break with reckless passion.
Compromise – “I’ll bring down heaven from above And give you all those things you want Forget the pain you’ve felt for far too long.” I am a sucker for a good romantic goth song and an album of napalm bangers. Writing a genuine love song that isn’t cheesy is the hardest thing for a musician to accomplish. This one burns true with a slick backbeat and a sizzling guitar solo.
www.instagram.com/blooddanceband/
Mexico City has a rich tradition of darkscene music. One of the most passionate fan bases in the world. It’s a thing of beauty to see that tradition perfectly carried on by the next wave spiritual successor Blood Dance.
Walk the Night – Album | Blood Dance