LIVE FROM THE PIT: Xibalba, Extinguish, Detriment and Blood Gutter

Once again, the New Cross Inn did not disappoint with an all-star, all-hardcore bill, bringing together death metal lords Xibalba and hardcore quintet Extinguish from California, joined by Reading hardcore boys Detriment and Brighton death metal crew Blood Gutter. Hardcore temple New Cross Inn is a milestone venue for any metal-adjacent band, and tonight’s line-up gave the crowd an outstanding performance.

Despite a last-minute string change and being one member down, Blood Gutter started the night strong with a powerful set, opening up an acrobatic pit of punching fists and flying feet. With death metal and hardcore influences going from Lamb of God, to Prowler or Your Demise, Blood Gutter’s debut EP ‘Below No One’ hits hard. ‘Sick’, and ‘Welcome the Rope’ were crowd favourites, going from heavy death growls to fry screams that itch your brain the right way.

Next up, Detriment took the stage, performing to an ever-growing pit. And yes, to answer the question everyone is asking, frontman Reuben’s moustache game was as magnificent as his stage presence. Touring for the release of their new EP ‘LIFE IN SHEER TERROR’, Detriment put on a high-energy show, with hits like ‘Stone Cold’ and ‘TORN FROM THE VEIN’. We’re sold. 

You know it’s going down when the pit turns into a wrestling ring worthy of the greatest WrestleMania matches. Stink face mode ON. Extinguish brought it down with all the riffs, breakdowns and screams you could ask for. With fire tracks from their discography and their latest album ‘One Less Enemy’, we could not have asked for a better band to prepare us for what was to come. 

In ancient Mayan mythology, “Xibalba” describes the home of the lords of the night, the underworld, roughly translated to “a place of fear”, where the souls of the dead would pass through or remain there, depending on the interpretation. So, as the room got darker, the tension rose, and the crowd got more ecstatic by the second. You have been warned. Now, embrace the chaos and enter the Underworld.

A Xibalba show is like getting (consensually) punched in the face: it's raw, it's intense, it's guttural. And if you're brave enough for the pit, you might very well literally get punched in the face. And you will want more. (or like that one guy, get a lost kick in the nuts. We sincerely hope you are okay.)

From the very first notes of ‘Desending Into…’ the pit opened wider than ever, resembling Yucatán’s “Cenotes” (clear-water cave portals to the Underworld), giving a freeing space to the moshing souls two-stepping into the New Cross Inn. The euphoric crowd cheered on the return of the Xibalban lords to our shores for the first time since their Outbreak set in 2022. Vocalist Nate Rebolledo poured his heart and soul into a high-powered set, always giving his all to the crowd and getting everyone a scream by sharing the mic. ‘Hasta La Muerte’ brought an already exhilarated crowd to the most intense point of the night, filling the room with filthy breakdowns, blast beats, dense bass and growls coming straight from the depths of hell.

As all good metalheads know, we are all for a fun exit tune. We then all came back to reality and re-entered the realm of the living to the sound of ‘Feliz Feliz’ by Mi Banda El Mexicano. This was a night none of us will forget; you just had to be there. All we have to do now is pray to the Underworld lords that Xibalba will come back to us soon. Because we need more.

Words and Photos: Claire Cabanac