Biography:

Brujeria (Spanish pronunciation: [bɾuxeˈɾi.a]) is an American[4] extreme metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1989. The band has Spanish lyrics with topics such as Satanism, anti-Christianity, sex, immigration, narcotics smuggling, and politics.[5] Brujeria portrays Mexican imagery, with several members being Hispanic and Latino Americans, while the band’s name stands for brujería (Spanish for “witchcraft“).

Brujeria alumni include Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares and drummer Raymond Herrera, as well as Billy Gould, Nick Barker, Jeff Walker and Shane Embury. They perform under pseudonyms and portray themselves as a Latino band consisting of drug lords, concealing their identities due to being wanted by the FBI. In videos and photographs of the band, they are shown wearing bandanas, balaclavas, serapes, and are often shown wielding machetes.[5]

History

Formation and early releases (1989–1992)

Brujeria was formed at a party in 1989 in the spirit of creating a grindcore and death metal band representative of the Latino/Chicano community. Its members, the guitarist Dino Cazares, Jello Biafra, drummer Pat Hoed, bass guitarist Billy Gould and vocalist Juan Brujo, used pseudonyms as most were in other known bands.

Their first single, “¡Demoniaco!”, was released in 1990. In 1992, “Machetazos” was released and with it came the band’s first line-up change. Jello Biafra departed the group, Pinche Peach[6] was introduced as an additional vocalist and Raymond Herrera took on the drums; Pat Hoed, the band’s former drummer, became a second vocalist. “Machetazos” and “El Patrón” (1994) were produced and distributed through Jello Biafra‘s record label Alternative Tentacles.[7]

The band was criticized from its inception for its lyrics about drugs, sex and Satanism. These topics, while the subjects of many other death metal acts, were inspired by the actions of Adolfo Constanzo, Cuban-American-born Mexican drug smuggler, practitioner of Palo Mayombe and serial killer.[8]

Credits: