#1 Soriah with Ashkelon Sain, a duo whose album Atlan made my A Darker Shade of Pagan top-ten for 2009, returns in 2011 with Eztica. Described as “a neo-tribal, mystically ethereal, paranormally enrapturing musical experience” this mix of throat singing (what Soriah calls “an offering to nature in her own tongue”), atmospherics, and ritual, is truly captivating. While something of a companion to Atlan, I think Eztica is the stronger album, one that sees more complex arrangements, and a sound that can be driving as well as atmospheric. This is a shamanistic ritual art experience, one that documents Soriah’s explorations into his own ethnicity and heritage, amplified by the amazing soundscapes of former Trance to the Sun guitarist Ashkelon Sain. This is the kind of musical spiritual journey that most others simply aspire to.

Soriah's collaborative work with Trance to the Sun's Ashkelon Sain on 2009's Atlan made perfect sense as something to be released on Projekt thanks to the hushed and echo-laden feeling of the album, so it's little surprise that the duo made a return appearance with Eztica, another collection of songs titularly invoking a pre-Spanish conquest past from Central America but drawing on any number of traditions from around the world. Soriah's own throat singing-inspired vocal approach remains paramount, often a low, droning burr on songs like "Ximehua" and, at other times, aiming for dramatic pronouncements as on "Xiuhcoatl" and "Iix." Given that the visual and performance aspect of Soriah's work is by necessity lost on the album, though, the focus on musical texture in his work with Sain makes perfect sense, though one can almost sense the vivid costumes that he creates and wears, not to mention the staging. Some pieces eschew vocals entirely, or at least appear to, concentrating instead on a kind of environmental/instrumental blend that suggests such performers as Popol Vuh, Ghost in their quieter moments, or some of the work of Projekt labelmate Forrest Fang. When loud guitar suddenly arcs in on "Temicteopan" and hovers in the background, Soriah's deep whispers act as a remarkable balancing counterpoint, in ways a perfect summary of this unusual, intriguing return effort. -Ned Raggett

Following the impressive Atlan album reviewed last issue, Soriah teams up again with Trance to the Sun's Ashkelon Sain for another inventive mixture of Aztec and Central Asian influences. Soriah is trained in Tuvan throat singing, and uses this vocal style to deliver lyrics in the Aztec language Nahuatl, accompanied by Aztec and Central Asian instruments as well as modern electric and electronic instruments courtesy of Ashkelon Sain.

Iix sets throaty vocals to a mix of ethnic percussion, chugging darkwave and floaty ambient music. Ticochitlehua features a whispered vocal over eerie atmospheric soundscaping. Eztica combines impassioned chanting and Tuvan throat singing with a powerful drum beat. Nica Anahuatl brings together shamanistic percussion and evocative experimental soundscaping. Ehecatl features the 'overtone' style of Tuvan throat singing, where the voice splits into two, with one of the vocal elements sounding more like a flute than what most would consider the human voice to be capable of. The voice combined with the soothing ambient backdrop makes for a truly magical mix. Chocatiuh is an expressive blend of darkwave-meets-neoclassical guitar and the igil, a Tuvan bowed stringed instrument. Temicteopan combines zither, whispered vocals and ice-cold ambient sound effects. Omeyocan employs surreal, ethereal guitar and mystical-sounding wooden flute for a dreamlike effect. Its hypnotic atmosphere carries the mind off to another world where all is calm and peaceful. Amochantzinco combines chirping insect sounds, foreboding darkwave synth, rhythmic drumming and expressive guitar work as a backdrop for Soriah's impassioned throat singing.

An inventive combination of sounds that makes for a really engaging listening experience. Very much recommended.

Soriah and Ashkelon Sain combine forces again for their second album together released on Projekt Records. These two build on their unique talents and musical styles for another interesting and haunting collaboration. Mixing traditional and ancient aztec and central asian styles and influences with modern guitars and various forms of percussion and rhythms modern and traditional. Spanning eleven tracks and packaged in a beautiful fold out eco-friendly wallet, this album is another excellent mixture of unique music.

The album starts off fairly dark and heavy with ancient verse and vocals hovering over grinding bass and various guitars and a mix of tribal rhythms in the form of "Iix". We get a nice mixture of ancient and modern styles and elements on this disc and this is a perfect example of how this collaboration has expanded slightly to include a little more modern instruments and styles in the mix while still maintaining that ancient air of mysticism. The range of intensity varies from the previously mentioned upbeat piece to dark, haunting ambient sounds. In fact dropping right off from "Iix" into the next piece "Ticochitlehua" is like dropping off of a high mountain peak into a dark and dreary abyss. The haunting music swirls around the listener as the soft, whispered tendril-like vocals move in to the subconscious. After climbing out of this abyss we're presented with a favorite on this album, the title-track "Eztica" starts off slow and dark and slowly builds into a moving, hypnotic piece with the mesmerizing throat-singing in it's unique splendor accented and moved along with a modern beat and modern, haunting music.

Overall the album picks up more of a modern air with the new and unique mixes across each track of guitar, percussion and synths making the music a bit more accessible to a wider audience in the related genres. It moves along fluidly through each piece from ancient to modern and back again, mixing the seemingly opposing styles into something at times dreamy, others moving and upbeat. Traditional tracks like "Ehecatl" and "Temicteopan" lay nestled between modern pieces, some still laid back and ethereal like "Chocatiuh" while others are an excellent mix of modern guitars and soundscapes such as "Ximehua". This new genre of ancient aztec and modern ambient and shoegaze meets psychadelic is intriguing and seems to work fine with an eclectic air. After a couple more of these pieces the album wraps up neatly with "Amochantzinco", again mixing the ancient vocals and chanting with modern guitars and ambient electronics across a moving mix of tribal and modern percussion for an excellent finale to the album.

Overall an excellent work with the music geared more towards what readers and listeners here would expect, while still maintaining the solid foundation in Soriah's ancestors ancient traditional sounds. Excellent progress while not losing any of the solid foundation. Rating: 4/5

Enrique Ugalde aka Soriah with Ashkelon Sain return with their brand new journey entitled Eztica, their second album on Projekt, and follow-up to their phenomenal Atlan from 2009. Eztica unfolds with euphoric and high-spirited "Iix" freshly blending energizing tribal percussions with gothic-infused Ashkelon Sain's guitars and Soriah's vocals with lyrics, same as on Atlan, in Aztec language of Nahuatl, all that backed by gorgeously floating grandeur washes. Absolutely magical, blissful and unique overture, amigos!!! Shorter "Ticochitlehua" dives straightly into deeper and mysterious primordial terrains with Soriah's whispering voices. Title composition "Eztica" opens with heavenly drifts and wordless voice magic and prayers with native feel, later more explosive textures invade along with Soriah's Tuvan throat-singing wizardry. Amazingly adventurous interactions of the ancient and the modern!!! Dark ritual "Nica Anahuatl" is finely enriched with choir-like sounds, various bells, percussions and deep organics. Bowed strings, flutes and expressive voices lead "Ehecatl", another deeply evocative genius performance!!!

Shorter "Chocatiuh" blends rainy sounds with ethereal guitars and bowed stringed instruments of Tuva. Strong Ashkelon Sain's darkwave ingredients on "Ximehua" are masterfully melted with hypnotic tribal rhythms, voice magics and bowed strings to capture purely ecstatic goth/shamanic sonic experience!!! "Temicteopan" is the most exotically fragranced composition with significant fragile string magics and Soriah's whispers, a deeply mysterious one, blending Aztec and Tuvan musical traditions!!! "Xiuhcoatl" is another energizing and rhythm-infused masterpiece with all Soriah's and Ashkelon Sain's trademarking ingredients, it showcases again highly effective interplay of grandiose vocal performance, dramatic percussions and imaginative atmospherics, definitely one of the most highlighting compositions on this ride!!! Deeply evocative instrumental "Omeyocan" blends echoed nostalgic strings with suggestive native flute work. Field recordings introduce "Amochantzinco", where orchestrals are supported by hauntingly beautiful vocals, percussions, guitars, bowed strings and flutes, all uniquely melted in fresh palette of sounds and atmospheres, a truly majestic closer!!!

The flow of this exotic sonic universe moves through many emotions to touch listeners deeply, Eztica is also more accessible due to its stronger darkwave approach when comparing to more mystically and ritually spiced Atlan. To me, Eztica most likely doesn't top Atlan, but it gets very very close to it and it grows on me with each listening session. Fascinating, galvanizing and magical sonics effectively join the cultural roots of Aztec and Central Asia with the present, all that portrayed by stunningly eye-catching artwork, one of its kind sonic and visual adventure!!! -Richard Gürtler

On Eztica, Soriah (Enrique Ugalde to his folks) seems to emerge from some other dimension, one in which sunlight, sand and smoke intermingle, reflecting at odd angles off the droning soundwaves that flow from his throat. Soriah’s Tuvan throat singing and exotic flutes and percussion come ensconced in shimmering guitars and keyboards provided by Ashkelon Sain, whose work with acid goth group Trance From the Sun seems to have perfectly prepared him to chase Soriah’s musical phantoms. The blend of lush synths and dreampop guitars with worldbeat rhythms and otherworldly vocals on “Ximehua” and “Iix” ranges from ethereal ambience to pure psychedelia, soothing one moment and unsettling the next. One doesn’t so much listen to Eztica as wrap oneself up in it, allowing it to caress your skin, cover your eyes and get tangled up in your legs. Don’t worry – this cross-cultural fog is worth getting lost in. -Michael Toland