Immolation - Majesty and Decay (Nuclear Blast Records) By: Darren Cowan

[8.5/10]Few death metal groups have remained as vital as Immolation. Suffocation is the only NYDM band that has embarked on as many high-profile tours and released as many albums on major metal labels as Immolation. Now with the group’s latest offering, Majesty & Decay, Immolation can boast having a full-length album issued in the 90s, 00s and the teens. Even more impressive is how Immolation has stuck to its guns, not bowing to trends, and hasn’t changed a whole lot since the group’s 1991 debut Dawn of Possession.

Just like their southern peers, Obituary, the educated death metal fan can instantly identify an Immolation album. These definable characteristics include bowel-raking low guitar tuning that works closely with the drums, layered guitars, mid-paced rhythms that churn the earth and suddenly rise to the sky, anti-religion lyrics and above all—Robert Vigna’s demented guitar harmonics. Other than Cannibal Corpse, no DM group has such a recognizable guitar squeal has Immolation.

As if raising his guitar to chop of the heads of adorning fans, Vigna manipulates these wild notes with a bit of theatrics when on stage. Even after 20 years of creating such disharmony, Vigna only seems to be improving with Majesty & Decay. On “A Token of Malice,” the bald-headed one speaks many languages with his electric mouthpiece. Rhythm guitarist Billy Taylor and Vigna work in perfect harmony, alternating octaves and keeping time with Steve Shalaty’s constantly changing rhythms.

The title track, a highlight in the band’s career, features memorable, old-school-style DM riffing. “A Glorious Epoch” begins with standard, drawn out harmonics, and then emerges into the type of epic riff one would expect from a song with this title. “Power and Shame” shows the band at its swiftest. Of course, the speed eventually halts into a soul-crushing breakdown and more guitar cacophony.

Many of these rhythms convey a dark, uneasy feeling that few DM bands replicate. The decipherability of Ross Dolan’s words seems to vocalize the bleak, abysmal sounds of his cohorts. Dolan possesses a powerful voice capable of frightening results, but it’s not too high or too low. It has a nice middle ground that still sounds evil, but is easy to understand his lyrics.

After a couple of listens to Majesty & Decay, one can definitely say this is Immolation. The group may not have changed its sound much over the course of eight albums, but they have improved vastly. The uniqueness of this band has kept them in the forefront of death metal for the last two decades, and has again resulted in another top-notched release with Majesty & Decay.

www.everlastingfire.com