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Just saying the name Immolation gives you a pretty good idea
what kind of music this veteran New York City band plays.
This is definitely death metal, played by a band that has
a clear grasp of exactly what that style is all about: growling
vocals, dive-bomb guitar riffs, frenetic drumming and plenty
of lyrics about violence, demon spirits and anti-Christianity.
So the question is, do they do it well enough to recommend
this album? Well, yes, yes they do. Majesty and Decay
is Immolation’s seventh album, and the band rips through
these 12 tracks with a frightening intensity. It’s more
varied than fellow New York death metalers Suffocation’s
last release, with less of a reliance on whammy bar theatrics
and tremolo picking (although there is plenty of that) and
more on straight-up pummeling the shit out of you. Songs like
“The Purge,” “Divine Code” and “A
Thunderous Consequence” are bound to be favorites in
the circle pits.
Bassist/vocalist Ross Dolan has the death metal growl down
pat, sounding downright Satanic while singing about melting
flesh on “In Human Form.” He’s also pretty
sinister sounding on “A Glorious Epoch,” as the
band hammers away at mid-tempo. Lead guitarist Robert Vigna’s
axe sounds like it came out of hell. He certainly has range,
whether it’s with his high-pitched solos or the creepy
notes on “Interlude.” Drummer Steve Shalaty’s
work behind the kit deserves praise as well—I have no
idea how he could keep up playing all those fills in concert.
Shalaty gives a blast-beat/double-bass clinic on “The
Rapture of Ghosts.”
Majesty and Decay isn’t anything groundbreaking.
In the realm of death metal, I suppose I put it behind Vader’s
last release, but with Immolation, you’re clearly dealing
with professionals. It’s not a perfect album, but Majesty
and Decay has plenty of thrills and heavy-metal-hair-swinging
moments, and it’s hard to ask for more than that.
®2010 Live-Metal.net
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