Brujería

Brujeria is a brutal-death metal-grindcore band hailing from Mexico which name comes from the Spanish language, meaning "Witchcraft". Their extreme attitude involving permanent use of urban militia masks, an old custom of refusing to make live shows, and performing under pseudonyms to portrait themselves as a Latino band of drug lords, have been part of their passport to success. Although they have recently performed live at locations across the United States, Latin America, and Europe at the very start of their career they were concealing their identities due to being supposedly wanted by the FBI.

Their lyrics, which are sung entirely in Spanish, are focused on anti-Christianity, critics to the U.S. immigration policies, exaltation of figures like the XIX century Mexican revolutionary "Pancho Villa" and the infamous 80's Colombian drug lord "Pablo Escobar" (El patrón - The Boss). Other recursive subjects in their songs are a libertarian political revolution, parodies involving Catholic saints prostitution, Satanism and "Santería", narcotics smuggling, also including performances about killing some U.S. white people (the "gringos").


It would be a mistake to appreciate Brujeria with serious concern, since their embrace of the absurdity of violence in the Mexico/U.S. border socierties follows a tradition of Mexican/Chicano political humor with roots in earlier centuries. Since their very start they have confronted ambivalent patterns going from explicit racial hatred and closed Satanism to more mature and realistic points of view. One of their lyrics from the album Raza Odiada "Hatred Race" have changed in time: the first version of Pito Wilson talks about killing white people indiscriminately, while the second version extends the intro and does mention the fact that politics like Pete Wilson stand in racial hatred against Latin people so Latin people must strike back stronger "wet brothers of the U.S. who will fuck you more? It isn't Satan. It is the hatred race of the world [...] Pito ("Whistle") Wilson hate our race[...]". There are too some political contents promoting the Mexican indigenous communist revolution (Zapatistas) and so on.

Brujeria was formed at a backyard party in 1989 in the spirit of creating a grindcore & death metal band representative of the Mexican/Chicano community. Its founding members, vocalist Juan Brujo, guitarist Dino Cazares, drummer Pat Hoed, and bassist Billy Gould would wear bandanas over their faces and use pseudonyms to conceal their identities as most were in other known bands. Brujeria has featured various members from other bands such as ("Slayer") Dino Cazares (Fear Factory), Bill Gould (Faith No More), Nicholas Barker (ex- Cradle of Filth), Raymond Herrera (ex-Fear Factory), Jeff Walker (Carcass), and Shane Embury (Napalm Death). Their lineup has changed over time and could be different at any point.


Despite their controversial and unconventional career thus far, Brujeria has built a large fan base within the metal underground worldwide.

The "new" Brujeria's latest album, "Esto Es Brujeria" was released in September 2023 via Nuclear Blast records. Catch Brujeria on tour in the United States beginning August 29th 2024 in Long Beach, California and across the country on select dates with Gwar.