Majesty and Decay

Immolation are a band that's very difficult to dis because so much of the modern technical/dissonant death and black metal sound is directly inspired by them, and they're one of the rare bands in the sub-genre that have actually tried to figure out structures that weren't completely inline with everything standard the other bands were doing in the industry. In light of these things, it comes across as counterproductive to denigrate an act that puts values like creativity and song-writing forward. But the issue is primarily that for a band in death metal to really remain relevant, while playing in exactly the same style release after release, they'd have to excel at their craft to the point even in a style this chaotic and complex, the songs would still come out sounding distinct from one another and entirely memorable - or else, it's simply more of the same. A static exercise in sticking near-identical riffs together in stale execution.

This is still very much Immolation in the same mold as they've always been: mid-paced, somewhat monochromatic, and always with that enduring feeling the music is muffled with an overall dark production - but with only average effort in composition. Now, there are always strong segments. For one, that giant instrumental riff on the opener 'The Purge' right after the verse with that vertiginous dropped note is certainly a highlight. 'A Glorious Epoch', the video clip "single" on this, has a fairly catchy core riff but its appeal for existential dread can actually just feel languishing. Finally, a terribly rare occurrence here, a change in pace and energy, the beautifully mysterious and sorrowful outro to 'The Rapture of Ghosts' hearkens back to the band's better works.

The main theme on the title-track 'Majesty and Decay' for instance sounds fairly innocuous: it's one of these typical Immolation minor sections but it's neither terribly tragic nor immensely heavy or dark. And that's the major issue on this: there's just not enough strong material to go around, and most tracks can very quickly feel a bit vacant or redundant, until maybe there's one of the good sections on, but then it's right back to more medium quality guitar work. The leads often feel aimless, even when taking into account the sub-genre, and the solos generally sound like Vigna is just doodling on the guitar while watching TV.

It certainly doesn't help the vocals might be the most monotonous in the genre, and although they sound fine on their own, they just don't help the album get any lift from that uniform linearity. There's just such a staleness here. It honestly feels, not to be cute or funny, like the musicians were so depressed they had little vitality left to inject into their death metal. Too much auto-pilot stuff going on here. A relative lethargy.

Transition to Nuclear Blast used to be: great!, now: meh, not really. As for Immolation, the situation is fortunately different, the band lost nothing of brutality (but it was different later), it showed itself again from a slightly different side, and also gained a reasonable promotion - that is, it generally came out on this for good as few. And the best thing is that their debut in Nuclear Blast is also one of their best albums since "Unholy Cult".

Stylistically, "Majesty And Decay" is quite close to the previous "Shadows In The Light", it does not bring revolutionary changes as on the albums from before 2005, it continues the best known patents of the band, it strikes with death metal gloom and...it seems to be definitely more brutal, technically richer and even more thrilling than the previous two! The opening "The Purge" already gives ample insight into the "Majesty..." class. Except for "A Glorious Epoch", which has been developing the longest here, practically every track has equal blasts, medium temp and can make an impression. This time, the classic division into fast and slow pieces has been eliminated. This does not mean that the band fell into patterns or based the album on well-known ideas, as for me, it is impossible to complain about boredom or grinding similar patents on this disc, it is still interesting, brutal and "without repeats". Such songs as "In Human Form", title song, "The Purge" or "The Rapture Of Ghosts" simply have to be liked, they have everything for what so many liked them (including the author) and what should be done by the American require the band, and at the same time they do not lack variety. The characteristic atmosphere, the way riffs and solos are constructed, Ross's powerful vocals - these are only some of the attractions offered by Immolation.

"Majesty And Decay" is a piece of well-written death metal, keeping the perfect proportions in relation to brutality and slower paces, and also bringing a lot of freshness to the group (not only due to the introses, e.g. also in terms of melodies - which is not so obvious). The music on "Majesty..." should also suit those whose previous changes did not quite fit. As I mentioned, there is more technique here and more gears at a higher speed, but that the group often achieves the characteristic, gloomy atmosphere on the "Majesty..." with the help of these more brutal patents, it's quite a novelty. Previously, it happened much less often.

The most controversial changes have gone through the sound, these are - according to the Nuclear Blast standards - much cleaner and more transparent, and against the background of the dingy "Here In After" or "Failures For Gods", even very "pretty". Fortunately, Immolation did not disappoint either, everything sounds with the proper power, it's legible, still underground, and I have the only major reservations about the snare drum. Personally, I would prefer its sound to be more "alive" than sterile and "digital", but there is generally no tragedy, it does not make listening difficult. The album itself is another very important album in the output of Immolation, definitely in line with their best albums. Another thing is that there are generally many of these in the band's discography.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/12/immolation-majesty-and-decay-2010.html

After two somewhat sub-par offerings in Harnessing Ruin and Shadows In The Light, one had to wonder what was left for Immolation. Here was a band that had consistently ruled the death metal underground from their cult debut Dawn Of Possession straight through to 2002's Unholy Cult: a band whose power, presence, and ability continued to grow and expand in staggering ways. Yet Harnessing Ruin saw the band stray too far from their strengths while Shadows In The Light, though decent and workman, failed to recapture the magic. Both albums were hampered by inferior production (an issue that has hamstrung most of Immolation's discography). By the time Majesty And Decay was announced, I was skeptical. But I took a chance on the "A Glorious Epoch" video and was rewarded with the best song Immolation has ever written.

From the moody dissonance of the opening through the grey-hued thunder of the drums spiraling through the oppression of riffs and Ross Dolan's cavernous cry of blighted anger, choked frustration, and venomous raging despair, "A Glorious Epoch" represents a level of songwriting rarely found in death metal. As the song builds in aggression, layering levels of atmosphere and blunt rhythmic trauma, the crescendo of righteous blasting comes as an ultimate release before laying you back in the grave with a return of darkened textures and Ross's heaviest vocal performance ever. A fitting epitaph to humanity's inexorable downfall, "A Glorious Epoch" is at the record's epicenter for a reason. But surrounding it are nine other tracks of blisteringly intense and complicated death metal that together renders Majesty And Decay a sublime masterpiece of brutality perfected.

Immolation are, and always have been, unique. Theirs is an instantly identifiable sound built mostly on intangibles. It's hard to verbalize exactly what makes Immolation stand alone. Arising out of NYDM, they retain that scene's formative rampant brutality and grit yet they are architects of knotty complexity and remorseless hooks -- songs as challenging as they are catchy. Built on Bob Vigna and Billy Taylor's twisted riffs and dissonant pinch-harmonics, Ross Dolan's immense bellow and anchoring bass, and Steve Shalaty's polyrhythmic timekeeping, Immolation couples technical merit with a laser-like focus on songwriting craft and an overarching atmosphere of sinister darkness. Take the album's title track: a mammoth bruising groove erupts over double-bass and a slightly off-time shuffle before the track surges into rumbling blasts of frenetic soloing and tom-heavy polyrhythms. When the groove resume, its like getting slammed into a wall. Another impressive offering is "The Rapture Of Ghosts," whose swirling layers of atonal dissonance and escalating riff structures is damn-near hypnotic. When they bust out of this pattern to lay down some menacing grooves and furious blasting, it escalates the tension to insane heights before leveling back into yet another hypnotic web of complex and memorable riffing. This is apex death metal here, the supreme height of craftsmanship, songs that display profound levels of musical thinking without sacrificing one iota of heaviness or menace. Technical bands often lose the thread of composition while brutal bands often forsake songwriting altogether. Immolation is the real deal, the total package of technical ability, relentless heaviness, and sinister atmosphere combined into one strong package that somehow remains entirely accessible.

Outside of an ambient intro and interlude, neither of which add altogether much except to give one a quick breath before and between the shock and awe, this record is basically flawless. If I've singled out three songs at the expense of the others, it is not to slight those songs. They are incredible: dynamic, heavy, dark, and beautiful -- just difficult to write about without getting into further paragraphs of dissection and praise. Rest assured, Bob Vigna's riffs and solos are incredible throughout, just as Ross Dolan gives his strongest vocal effort ever. And the drums are fantastic! Steve Shalaty really raised his game here. Hell, the whole band did. Just when I was ready to write Immolation off, they delivered another masterpiece. If Close To A World Below was their enthronement as death metal gods, Majesty And Decay is Immolation's return from usurpation -- death metal's best and most consistent band once again reigns supreme.

Immolation’s career has been a very long path, trodden just to get here. This is Immolation’s best album, when it came out a couple of years ago and I first listened to it I knew it was huge but now with the benefits of retrospective I can assure it is at least my favorite recording from this New York based quartet. It encompasses everything they have done before as a band, but even with more vehemence. Inspiration stroked them differently when writing the songs featured on “Majesty and Decay”, an album that must be consulted when looking for references of some pernicious and malignant DM. It’s important to say it because the only difference with some other Immolation albums might be how incredibly memorable and catchy, but still eternally devoted to the cruelty that the black essence of men pours over the world this is. This duality is enriched by the fact that these guys also consider technique when writing and by this I mean not just riffs hard to play, but to imagine in the first place. In your first listens you may not get the timing in your head for riffs until you hear them a couple of times because of their complexity –and simplicity at the same time, maybe they aren’t so difficult to play but the timings aren’t as natural and fluid as they are commonly in the rest of the bands- still they get you hooked and interested in the music. When you finally decipher the songs and learn them in your head listening to them is even more enjoyable, this is Immolation’s finest and most memorable riffing ever.

Ross Dolan’s guttural rampage is still the most lethal and fear inducing growling, and his bass guitar is present enough to be heard along with the guitars, tough it never grows apart from them. This “more felt than heard” bass volume level fits Immolation better I think, bass lines just go along with the guitars anyway. This bass-made mattress is perfect for the guitar tracks to be laid over with their solid and heavy distortion, a little bit drier than it was on the old days and more compressed, giving the 6 strings more definition when the nest of demons is disturbed and the insanely fast riffing kicks in. Leads sound bright as pearls and will touch your core, I love how dynamic is the sound between riffs and leads in this band. Riffs are played mostly in a palm muted tremolo picking fashion, sometimes declined to go for a slower chord-like string stroke that give a desperate and drowned in anguish sensation to the figures that feature them.

The drumming is always the most adequate for every riff, when Shalaty beats the shit out of his drum kit or when he just play a little with the quiet sounding ride cymbals it’s always a planned move. First he listens to the riff, he gets the beat and then he starts shredding it with more complex anomalies and syncope. From his notable cymbal work to his speedy feet, he is one of the most complete drummers in extreme metal in general.

Design is elemental in Immolation’s music in general I would say. Sometimes riffs come almost casually, the guitarist is just there warming up and then suddenly he plays something that sounds cool and that becomes a riff. When I listen to this band I get the feel they don’t just go aiming for senseless emotive expression, they carefully put every note into place to give the desired effect which are of course visceral emotions. There isn’t any riff, chord or arpeggio that wasn’t picked because of how meaningful and memorable –without ignoring their strictly aggressive and evil nature- it is. And there aren’t riffs that get to the record by chance or only because they sounded cool, they were chosen and designed previously so that every note has a meaning.

Immolation and their brand of death metal is perhaps not too unique, but it has certain qualities that distinguish them from the rest of the herd, so to say. Over the years since the inception of the band, Immolation have fine tuned their style and refined it with each release. Majesty and Decay is no regression from their earlier works. Instead, we see a rise of a more brutal and heavy Immolation, yet still maintaining the lightly technical and progressive edge they have had for some time now. But how does it work out?

The guitars have a rough and raw tone, playing riffs sharp as meat cleavers. But the bass guitar however, is perhaps where the disappointments start. The bass guitar is rather drowned, but can be heard in the more denser parts, tangled into the guitars. The drums are more exciting, being improved from their previous effort, the drums pound away quite fast in a technical and unorthodox manner, following the lead of the guitars. And then are the vocals, which are very deep and trembling as thunder. The vocals can however be a little repetitive, but are overall enjoyable.

The mixing and production are both quite clean, but still manage to make the music sound gritty and raw. As for the songwriting, it could be better. Some songs are well structured and are delivered with much power. And while every song pretty much come off as a heavy hitter, some just fall apart with less than interesting structures and instrumentation. As for the chemistry between the members, it is evident that they are in tune with each other and can make good music, as Majesty and Decay half way there can prove.

Overall, Majesty and Decay is half way there to being a top notch album, but it lack a crucially good songwriting for most songs. And ultimately, it is good, just not that great.

Stand-out tracks: The Purge, Majesty and Decay, The Rapture of Ghosts.
6,5/10

I'm one of those assholes who never 'got' Immolation. Then again, after I turned like 18 I stopped caring about technical death metal, dissonance, abstract, formless riff structures, you know, all those things which make for a 'great death metal band'. To me, Immolation has always made pretty boring if technically interesting music. The sole exception to this rule was 'Harnessing Ruin', where Immolation basically jettisoned most of their outward weirdness in favor of making more straightforward, catchy material, and the effect was palpable: I really liked it a lot! So it was in that spirit that I finally bothered to buy an Immolation album: 'Majesty And Decay', the longtime collective's newest release, in hopes that it would continue down the 'Harnessing Ruin' path and I'd be able to sit through the whole thing without getting really bored and annoyed.

The verdict? Eh, whatever.

It looks like 'Harnessing Ruin' was sort of a fluke as Immolation is right back to the atonal tech riffing and midpaced, churning songs. I mean, we all know what Immolation sounds like at this point, right? Keening, convoluted riffs that sound sort of like slower Morbid Angel tracks merged with a more intentional sense of off-kilter rhythm and dissonance. Drumming based around chirpy cymbal runs and odd tomwork more than blasts and straightforward double bass (though both of those things are present). Ross Dolan sort of growl-purrs all over everything (the vocals seem pretty unnecessary to this band). For some reason, I appear to be missing the distinct brilliance that the entire fanbase of this band rants about on the internet all the time.

Except I don't really think I am; it might just be a matter of taste and not perceiving some hidden truth. Immolation does not make particularly meaty music, and in that I'm not referring to the bass-saturated production style. Immolation's music is not very memorable; they do not inspire headbanging nor me frantically looking through a Youtube video for a moment to show a friend. Their songs do not get me excited or run a course of peaks and valleys to immerse myself into; they mostly just kind of wander around their set of ideas until the band decides it's over. It seems like Immolation is a death metal band trying to intentionally excise a lot of the things that define the genre, and more importantly, they're desperately trying to remove any and all traces of thrash or heavy metal from their sound. Ordinarily I'd approve of such a measure, but in Immolation's case it comes at the cost of engaging songwriting. It's not that I just don't feel like getting involved- I literally CAN'T get involved with Immolation's music due to their staunch dedication to their technical performances. They're admittedly excellent, but that doesn't mean anything to me.

I guess there's still a vague chance that I'm missing something important, but frankly I've given this band enough years worth of tries and I'm ready to give up. Immolation doesn't do anything for me in the same way The Chasm and Portal just leave me shrugging my shoulders. I guess Immolation is the last tech death band that it's okay for 'real metalheads' to like, but I'd rather listen to something like Necrophagist than this most days. At least there I can remember the riffs.

While I was bored last week, I decided to randomly throw on Immolation’s new album, Majesty And Decay. My first impression a few months ago was that this was just another Immolation album, and to an extent, that is true. I like the same things I’ve always liked about them, and I hate the same things I’ve always hated. Still, something stuck out to me about this album. I think it’s the general dissonance of the riffs, which seems to be a bit more present than on past albums, but maybe I’m wrong on that. Whatever it is, I like this album.

Anyone who has read my past writings might think that this isn’t the glowing endorsement that I usually give awesome death metal albums, and that is certainly the case, mainly due to a few reasons. Firstly, New York death metal (think Immolation, Suffocation, Incantation, etc.) is one of my least favorite kinds of regional death metal. Something about just sounds a bit sloppy and muddy to me at times, and that’s just not my cup of tea. Secondly, I really dislike Immolation’s drum sound. The rhythms played are fine (I actually like those a lot), but the mixing and general sound just annoys me. They’re just too damn loud and obtrusive in the mix, which interferes with the awesome guitar riffs being played. Lastly, Ross Dolan’s vocals just aren’t strong enough for me. He reminds me of Nathan Explosion/Brendan Small, which is never a good thing. Still, with those gripes aside, Immolation have written some of the most interesting death metal over the past two decades, and they certainly deserve lots of respect for that.

That brings us to Majesty And Decay. As expected, the drums are fucking loud. Really fucking loud. The intro to ‘The Purge’ makes this as clear as it can be, and the drums and vocals are both very high in the mix. However, with clean modern production, the riffs are easier to follow than they’ve ever been, despite being a bit too low in the mix for my taste. Interestingly enough, the lead guitar is actually at a perfect point in the mix, which is perfect because it plays a crucial role in creating some genuinely haunting melodies and solos, my personal favorites being the ones in ‘A Token Of Malice.’

Hell, speaking of that track, it’s easily my favorite on the album, simply for the fact that the main riff in this song is so fucking catchy. Seriously, holy fuck! This song has the intensity of any other Immolation song, but that one main riff just makes this a lot catchier. The section in the middle (starting at 1:25) is a perfect example of how simplicity can be used to create a genuinely memorable and epic song. To close it out, there is an awesome outro that evokes emotion sooooooo well. This song is a work of simple genius.

The rest of the album generally has the same sound. Hell, this is Immolation, we all know what we’re going to get. Still, some of the riffs here are a bit groovier than usual by Immolation standards. I can’t help but be reminded of a heavier Dethklok, which really annoys me. The solo and the accompanying riff at 1:39 best exemplify this. But make no mistake, this is still much better than any of that generic Dethklok music.

This may not be Close To A World Below or Dawn Of Possession, but it’s another very solid Immolation album, and any fans of the band have hopefully already checked this out by now. The riffs are catchier than ever before, and the modern production really helps establish their clarity in the mix. Everything else is what you’d expect, and frankly, isn’t that all that people were looking for from this? If you like Immolation or pretty much any New York death metal, you’ll like Majesty And Decay.

Written for http://thenumberoftheblog.com/

I knew as soon as I heard the single "The Purge" that this album was going to be incredible. I found that with the last two Immolation albums the production was lacking. Some of the guitar tones on "Shadows in the Light" were practically inaudible and on Harnessing Ruin the drumming was scarcely heard.

With "Majesty and Decay" Immolation has returned to form. First with the lyrics they continue to mix their well thought out assault on religion (Sorry Aeon on Deicide), while exploring other lyrical dimensions (i.e Conflict in the Middle East) and this has come up a lot, but as Immolation releases more albums it sounds like Ross Dolan gets more angry with age.

The guitar riffs seem to power the songs and we get a chance to hear Robert Vigna's technical ability more so than on "Shadows in the Light" and a lot of the song structure takes one back to Immolation's prime (Close to a World Below, Unholy Cult) which is great to see as I for one was worrying that they were starting to stray away from that aspect of their music.

Finally, the one thing that bothered me most on the last two Immolation albums (the drumming) has finally been recorded properly! Steve Shalaty is quite an acomplished drummer and it is nice to see that he can finally shine on an a record.

This may not be Close to a World Below or Unholy Cult, but it certainly is their best effort since then and a true return to form.

I haven't listened to Immolation much prior to checking out Majesty and Decay. So I looked at the album alone, not comparing it to any predecessors. Nevertheless, this album is a good listen for death metal fans, whether or not you have been listening to Immolation from the beginning or, like me, just starting out.

First off, the production is mostly clean and clear. The drums are clear but not overwhelming, and the double bass parts provide great support for the other instruments in songs like Majesty and Decay. The snare is audible at times, but other times it is harder to hear. Cymbals are generally clear. The guitars are always clear, although it takes some listening to sieve out the rhythm parts, as the low-end sound does muffle the lower notes somewhat.

Next, the music itself. Bob Vigna and Bill Taylor do a great job with rhythm and solo alike, and songs like Majesty and Decay, The Purge and A Glorious Epoch provide great solos with an excellent mix of speed and slowness, dissonance and melody. Tremolo picking is frequently used here. The rhythm is heavy and tight, with very smooth transitions of riffs that will have many a metalhead headbanging merrily away. The opening rhythm of the title track is a heavy mixture of tremolo picking and double bass, with an ominous feel to it as the vocals come in, predicting the destruction of the human race. The Glorious Epoch opens with a more melodic side to it, then begins to pick up as the vocals come in, repeating this pattern once before launching into full-out blasting, with ferocious hammering on the drums and thrashing on the guitars. Power and Shame starts of with full-on blasting, a contrast to the closing of its predecessor, The Rapture of Ghosts, which ends with a repeating melancholic melody, carried off by the double bass.

Ross Dolan's vocals are low-pitched growls that are relatively easy to decipher by listening while reading the lyrics. As he growls about destroying humanity and the fall of religion, his voice fits the "requirements" to prophecy about the end. Ominous, cold, evil and the like. A very enjoyable part of the music which can be listened to again and again. Although they fall within the same range (all low-pitched, not having any high-pitched screaming), Immolation is not Lost Soul. Besides, with the guitars consistently being at a low range, screaming would stand out like a sore thumb. The vocals fit perfectly well with the range of the guitars, which makes it all the more as though the guitars were accompanying the vocals in a premonition of apocalypse.

The drums are tight and clear, with Steve Shalaty manning them. With a variety of fast and slow, they provide very smooth changes of tempo in between songs and within songs themselves. Taking A Glorious Epoch once again for example, it starts off slow but becomes fast. Power and Shame, on the other hand, starts fast, slowing down for a dissonant solo before speeding up again. The snare could be a little clearer, however, as there are some parts where it becomes a little inaudible.

To conclude, this is an unsettling album which will provide a great experience for death metal fans. Regardless of whether you are an Immolation veteran or newbie, this album is an ideal addition to your collection. Enjoy the ride.

No strangers to the realm of death metal, Immolation is undoubtedly at the top of their game with their latest release, Majesty and Decay. This release also marks the first release with their new label, Nuclear Blast Records.

Many bands today talk about how their new album will be the “heaviest and hardest hitting” they've ever done, and how they are going to push the envelope of metal. While many bands claim this, Immolation have truly done it. The vocals have deepened and become even more sinister, the guitar work has become more ferocious and the drumming continues to push the barriers of speed and technicality.

There are so many stand out features of Majesty and Decay it is difficult to describe. In terms of the musicianship and talent displayed, it is second to none. The drums are very pronounced and heavy, no clicky kick drums here. The guitar work is again top notch with a perfect mix of fast paced shredding and slow grooves throughout the record. Vocal delivery is simply perfect, not covering the music or being drowned out by it.

The hardest part of this record to describe is the overall sound and production. If you go back to other albums from Immolation the songs are heavy and hit hard, but simply put, the songs on the new album hit harder. This album is a fully loaded freight train that pummels you with huge walls of sound. The songs don't have to be played at warp speed, instead they have depth, mass, and power. Songs like A Glorious Epoch, A Token of Malice, and Majesty and Decay take hold of you with massive strength and force that cannot be matched.

Immolation has continuously outdone themselves and Majesty and Decay is no exception. Any fan of death metal should have this album.

Originally written for http://www.brutalism.com

Considering how long Immolation have been chipping away at their unique, subtly but massively influential brand of US death metal, it's good to see that the band seems to get a lot of credit these days, whether it's through the talk of the internet or those able to witness one of their live shows. I've seen this band a great number of times, generally in the late 90s and turn of the decade, and though I would never count them among my personal favorites of the genre, they are easily one of the best bands of their type from the East Coast. In fact, I'd rate their overall body of work as far more consistent than a peer like Suffocation. Majesty and Decay is the band's 8th full-length offering, and while the overall quality doesn't really touch what I'd consider the band's 'unholy trinity' of works: Close to a World Below, Unholy Cult and Harnessing Ruin (2000-5), it's a further exercise in the band's distinctly deep, bludgeoning that conjures a landscape far more adventurous than a great many of their contemporaries.

As with any Immolation release, Majesty and Decay hits hard, like an open skull surgery in which the neurosurgeons have all gone batshine insane and started to tap on your various soft bits with whatever steel implements are available to them. The riffs swerve and cascade from blunt intensity to moments of slicing, graceful leadwork and scintillating, vorpal chords that bristle at the edge of perception. It's both murky and glorious, with Stave Shalaty serving as a human tornado which lifts up the hard hitting guitar rhythms to toss them about like loose furniture or cattle. Dolan's vocals are as central as ever, and his bass playing is simply extraordinary as it bounces along like a bottom feeder to the aquarium of chaos that is Robert Vigna and Bill Taylor.

After a sampled, brooding classical intro, "The Purge" does exactly what it sets out to do, lose your lunch through its consistently confusing edifice of tightly wound riffing and jarring percussive low end. From there, the psychotic grooves and grind of "A Token of Malice", and the subterranean old school evil of the title track, which seems like the bastard groove-spawn of Morbid Angel and Suffocation. I love the way the drums hit on this track, straight for your kidneys like foulplay in a playground brawl. And the album does not let up, with even more curvaceous, thickly plotted hammers like "In Human Form", "A Thunderous Consequence" and the more psychedelically spasming "Rapture of Ghosts". "Power and Shame" begins with more of a blistering frenzy that descends into a shitty chugdown that eventually picks up interest when the guitar harmonies call upon the madness of the void to broil and pop like the surface of a cesspool. "A Glorious Epoch" is perhaps my favorite on the album, due to Dolan's massive, cavernous vocals and the crushing grace of its barbarian tempos.

As brutal and effective as the album is overall, I can't say that there are many tracks which individually come to mind for their riffing, and I feel like this is just something we've heard before from the band...only more mucky, complex, and aggressive due to the polished, sound. It's a good effort, and should not depose or disappoint the long-standing Immolation fan, but the moments where it transforms into something fully sinister are not common enough.

Highlights: A Glorious Epoch, In Human Form, Rapture of Ghosts

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I've got to be honest; the last Immolation album I bought was Here in After in 1996. I saw them live a handful of times in that era and then completely lost the script. Along the way, I lost track of traditional death metal itself, I suppose. One listen to Majesty and Decay, however, was enough to make me a (non)believer again. This is an incredible album.

Majesty and Decay is the first traditional death metal album I've felt a real connection to in a long time. Its success unfolds on several levels. First and foremost, the album displays stellar songwriting. Every track is filled with riffs and rhythms that are sophisticated, compelling and memorable. Every time I walk away from Majesty and Decay, I have songs stuck in my head. The production is heavy, dynamic and near-perfect. This thing will snap your neck. Lastly, the piercingly intelligent lyrics tell a great story. The album feels like a post-apocalyptic walk on “The Road” with Cormac McCarthy. It's a thematically complete and completely harrowing piece of death metal.

Robert Vigna wields his guitar like a snake charmer and writes astounding riffs to match. “The Purge” kicks off the album with an absurd rhythmic barrage and riffage that will not get the hell out of my head. This thing changes speeds constantly but fluidly. It swings and swaggers in time signatures I can't fathom. An acoustic break adds atmosphere while Ross Dolan advocates for cleansing the earth of the human cancer. Fucking tremendous.

“A Token of Malice” continues in the same infectious vein. Bill Taylor and Robert Vigna trade insane solos and play complimentary riffs that interweave despite moving at completely different speeds. The lyrics, while dark and apocalyptic, could be read as condemnation of our treatment of the environment. Ross Dolan's bellowed vocals are commanding and vicious throughout.

The title track is the killer – you'll have no hope of getting the slithering main riff out of your head. Tremolo picking accompanies a swinging drum line that moves like a belly dancer on fire. “Divine Code” maintains the high level of quality riffage and rhythm. Here for the first time we see a return to the anti-religious sentiment that is the backbone of Immolation's message.

The songs that follow are no step down in terms of memorability and continue to mesmerize while keeping the head banging. Just when we've reached the saturation point for bludgeoning death metal, we get an amazing interlude. Harmonized lead melodies accompany subtle acoustic guitar work as bombs explode on the horizon. This is certainly the sound of mankind's demise by our own hand.

Throughout the album, Steve Shalaty gives an extremely impressive drum performance. There is a great deal of space offered by the rhythmic diversity on Majesty and Decay. Steve Shalaty takes that opportunity and runs with it. The drums get a sweet spot in the mix and are wonderfully produced. Everything here sounds organic and thundering. Ross Dolan's audible bass is also fantastically mixed, and he somehow manages to enhance the rhythmic mayhem.

“The Rapture of Ghosts” starts with another ingenious riff and ends up being one of the strongest tracks on the album. Majesty and Decay doesn't diminish in quality as it rages to its devastating end. This is an album I'd love to see performed in its entirety live. Has my absence from Immolation made me prone to appreciate Majesty and Decay more than a dedicated Immolation listener? I don't think so. This is a godforsaken masterpiece in any metal universe.

originally published here: http://atanamar.blogspot.com/