Immolation - Majesty & Decay

A Glorious Epoch

One of Death Metal’s old guard, Immolation have always stood out from the crowd with their immense technical ability & their refusal to conform to traditional DM song structures. Having maintained a (relatively) consistent line-up compared to the revolving door policies of many of the scene’s bigger names, this has afforded Immolation the chance to hone their craft to unparalleled standards.

Everything you love Immolation for is present here. The anti-humanity sentiment, Ross Dolan’s inimitable vocal delivery & the palpable feeling of pure evil emanating from every note but this time there’s something more. It’s hard to pinpoint but despite the numerous time changes & the outrageous riff-to-song ratio, every second of this album fits together like a clenched fist in the rectum of a Dutch prostitute.

A short atmospheric intro & the sounds of crumbling masonry leads into opener, The Purge. A meaty slab of brutality on the subject of ridding the world of humanity. The first solo sets the bar high for the rest of the album. The tempo drops for the next track, A Token of Malice, with some more groovy riffs and yet another beastly solo. The album lumbers on like a colossus through the crushing title track up to A Glorious Epoch, the strongest track on the album.

There are times where the sheer technicality of this album will put off posers & moments where the doom-influences creep in putting off purists but if you fall into either category, you simply don’t deserve an album this magnificent. Initially, I was going to say that this is the best Immolation album since Close To A World Below but it’s not. This is the best Immolation album. There can be no debate. It’s an evil, brutal, technical masterpiece that leaves every DM release of the year with a lot of work to do.

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