Whenever we write about the Queen of Gothtrap, Jade The Nighmare, the stats on our blog go sky high. We receive dozens of messages, likes, shares and hundreds of people read what we write. And this is the most beautiful and the most satisfying part of being an independent music reviewer – we shine a light on artists that somehow are completely ignored by the mainstream media (and even the independent music sites such as Brooklyn Vegan, who actually should have covered her long time ago as Jade is an American singer!) and yet there is a massive demand for her music. People are interested in hearing her speak – our interview with her brought a lot of traffic to our website. Fans are also listening to her music online – her singles score thousands of views and plays on Spotify and Youtube.
So back due to popular demand – ladies and gents, we gather here today to review the newest offering from the First Lady of Metal – “Xibalba (The Place of Fright)”.
Single cover
The mystical Xibala is indeed the titular place of fright. It comes from Mayan language and means the city of trials. According to the native beliefs, it was a huge city filled with monuments, houses, courts, gardens and temples – it was said to be beautiful but overwhelming. It was also the seat of Mayan Death Gods, a monstrous creation built in underground caves complex either in Belize or Guatemala. Xibala served the same purpose as Greek Hades – every soul had to pass through it and be judged. If the deceased was a person of honour and virtue, the Gods would treat it kindly and the soul would pass unharmed on its way to the afterlife. However, if the person was deceitful, cruel or a murderer – the city would punish them according to the crimes committed in the mortal world. A living person happening to find themselves in Xibala was always in danger – the city was spiked with traps, tunnels, bunkers and houses filled with all sorts of horrors and threats ranging from demons to hungry jaguars. There were rivers of lava and alive scorpions to swim through – in short, not a nice place to visit. It took Mayan Hero Twins (Hunahpu and Xbalanque) to finally pass through all the tests and challenges set by the Gods to ensure Xibala’s downfall.
The tale of this mythological city inspired Jade The Nighmare to write a new song, something that she says is some sort of a new beginning for her. “Xibalba meaning ‘place of fright’ in Mayan, embodies how it feels to get back up after you’ve been put through so much hell you become nearly powerful, maybe even more than what knocked you down – she explains when asked about the meaning behind this track. “Xibala is feminine, unforgiving. This song is a new chapter for me”.
When you listen to the track you can easily see how Jade is reinventing herself. The song is still heavy, angry, powerful, but in a different way. Jade has layered her vocals – normal, shouty and deep growl into a big, solid sonic punch that takes the breath away. And the song plays (pun intended) a very neat trick on the listener – the first part is very active, the melody increases its tempo and rhythm until it reaches its peak in the second chorus. From there it slows down considerably, to a literal crawl – all you can see in the last second of the track is her voice and a bit of guitar and occasional drum strokes. It created a sensation of being on a rollercoaster – you go up, you fall down with an incredible speed, go up again and then slowly the ride comes to a full stop.
Picture by Higher Transcendental Photography
I honestly do not know how Jade does it, but she played all instruments on this track, sang it, performed all vocals from the high-pitched shrieks to the really low growl that would make both Cannibal Corpse lead singers (Chris Barnes and George Fisher) green with envy, and then produced it and mastered it. All by herself – then she made the cover, put a kick ass PR pack and sent it out into the world. You honestly do not need a 7 Nation Army – all we can do is to hire Jade and she will take care of everything. That girl is one hell of a talented woman. Kind of sonic McGuyver. You can give her a piece of a cable, a few strings and access to the Internet and she will record several albums and an EP. When it comes to the musical skills, Jade The Nightmare is in a league of her own.
“Xibalba (The Place of Fright)” is, as usual, a mixture of many genres – black metal, trap metal, alternative rock, industrial, grime, speed core, heavy metal and others. I like the experimental, “broken” flow of the music. By broken, I mean it is not a straight line of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-guitar riff schematics of the majority of modern metal music. It reminds me of the early 90’s when bands such as Death, Morbid Angel, Dead Angel, Strapping Young Lad or Cynic incorporated jazz and avant-garde playing techniques into extreme music. Jade seems to be following a similar route – her songs are complicated, texture rich and possessing a true depth. An average Joe may not find them an easy listen, but once you dive head first into the complicated sound, you will love it to pieces.
What rating can we give to a song that is innovative, brilliant and expanding the definition of metal music? What can be said of an artist that is a visionary, self-taught and exceeding in every aspect of music making? We can give both the song and the artists our biggest sign of approval and keep our fingers crossed that she can come over to Europe one day.
Jade The Nighmare is paving a way for other women of colour in the heavy music. And she is doing a stellar job with each release.
Well done. We truly mean it.
Photographer:
https://www.facebook.com/higher.transcendental
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Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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