#59: Gyibaaw
A hidden gem out of the US-Canada Pacific Northwest
Background Info (Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives):
Country of origin: Canada
Location: Prince George, British Columbia
Status: Active
Formed in: 2006
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Themes: Ancient warfare, Indigenous culture, Spirituality, Tsimshian heritage
Current label: Unsigned/independent
Years active: 2006–2012, 2018-present
One of the rarest of its kind in my list so far, this band came out as an exciting find in a grueling dig for North American “native” metal acts that continues to this very day. Heck, the band is somewhat obscure — you can’t even find a decent photo of them anywhere on the net.
Gyibaaw’s black metal foundation serves as a solid center point around which the indigenous aspects of their overall music revolves— drums, flutes, and Tsimshian lyrics. Curiously, there isn’t any other like Gyibaaw, a band that promotes native American music and culture in the most brutal way possible. I hope they make more music soon, and more similar artists emerge.
Favorite Albums:
- Ancestral War Hymns (2009) — the only one as of the moment
Favorite Songs: (all from Ancestral War Hymns)
- Gyitwaalkt
- Winter Emissary
- Nekt
- Gisigwilgwelk
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