Xibalba is only getting better as time goes on, as you'll see with the band's third effort Tierra y Libertad. The album drops via Southern Lord. Hasta La Muerte, the last album from Southern California death metal/hardcore hybrids Xibalba, showed a group challenging their peers to step up the heaviness while never losing sight of their humble beginnings. It sounded as though a hardcore band got locked in their rehearsal space with only their gear, Obituary's Cause of Death, and Crowbar's Broken Glass to pass the time. Muerte was less cerebral than death metal, meaner than sludge, and unsubtly knuckle-dragging and proud of it. Beneath Xibalba's ultra-tough exterior was a desire to advance their sound, even by adding armor to their older vessels. "Cold", which started out on a split with World of Pain and Ruckus as a chugging mosh song, became a hulking riff mass with Greg Anderson's guidance and additional guitars. The band emerges as an even more confident war machine with Tierra y Libertad, streamlining their sound, cranking the tempos, and tipping the balance towards death metal.