Metal music has the privilege of being able to unite bands from all over the world and teach us about peoples we do not even know by name.
This is precisely the characteristic of Metal that makes it special and extremely interesting.
Through Metal we are given the opportunity to explore the cultural heritage of the peoples of the Earth.
For example, Amon Amarth sings about the history of the Vikings, the Rotting Christ who use ancient Greek, and the HU who perform in Mongolian.
So, it is not surprising that there are bands that come from different indigenous and/or colonial cultures.
Metalinjection.net recently introduced us six such bands, which are of great cultural interest.
Gyibaaw
Gyibaaw, a Black-Death Metal, represents the Tsimshians from the Pacific Northwest, performing several songs in their native S’malygax language.
Testify
Testify comes from Southeastern Navajo, New Mexico, and aims to inspire local youth with their positive messages.
Nechochwen
The name Nechochwen comes from the language of the Lenape natives living in the northeastern Woodlands and means “walk alone”.
According to frontman Aaron Carey, a founding member of the folk / black metal duo, they were inspired by the native history and myths of West Virginia.
Their lyrics explore and reveal the ancient stories of his ancestors.
Resistant Culture
Resistant Culture through grindcore and crust punk are proponents of inherent rights.
In their songs, they use quite often, traditional instruments and environmental sounds.
Their lyrics speak of resistance to oppression and the nature that avenges man for the destruction he causes in it.
Cemican
The Cemicans represent the pre-Spanish indigenous cultures of Mexico, based on Aztec myths.
They use a wide range of traditional instruments, their appearances have a theatricality, as they wear costumes of Aztec warriors.
Cemican is a Nahuatl word from the native language of Mexico, meaning “the duality of life and death.”
Alien Weaponry
Alien Weaponry is a thrash/metalcore band from New Zealand that makes a huge effort to promote Maori culture and language.
The three members of the band all share the Maori heritage and sing much of their music in Te Reo Māori (the Maori language).