Apoch's Metal Review - Majestic Downfall: The Blood Dance CD Review

Discography	Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed.
Full-Length(s):	Temple of Guilt (2009) • The Blood Dance (2012)
Split(s):	Majestic Downfall / Ansia (2007)
Demo(s):	The First Abyss (2007)

Review

When it comes to the Death/Doom Metal field, a lot of bands really try to cater to some of the most dismal sounding material humanly possible, and a lot of times it ends up just being boring with too much dead air involved. But, when a band is able to take a step back and focus on a rich experience, the combination of styles can lead to some really splendid experiences. One band that manages to do this well is Majestic Downfall. Now located in Queretaro, Mexico, this group appears to be helmed by Jacobo Córdova handling all the instruments, though a session drummer has been used. After a demo and split with Ansia, the debut full-length dropped in 2009 through My Kingdom Music, who also issued the group's second full-length opus, The Blood Dance. However, for an early 2012 release, Chaos Records has picked the album up for a proper release outside it's smaller pressing run and what seems to be cassette only format.

Majestic Downfall actually has a bit of a surprising audio quality to it. The band clearly gears towards a rawer sound, but it's rather minimal at best to give the music a slightly rougher sound. This accentuates every aspect of the music here though. The guitars have a great distortion that's already pretty deep, and comes off a little more abrasive due to the quality and the bass guitar, which feels very subtle in the mix at a slightly lower volume so that it mixes in well without necessarily coming out like the child of instruments trying to get mommy's attention in a packed grocery store. The superb mixture of a cold and grim atmosphere in the chords really plays off that atmosphere well, giving off a hopeless sensation, yet an undeniable beauty found in the simply rich music that will easily leave the listener in awe. On top of that the drumming just feels powerful, matching the rather loud guitars well through the cymbals and snares, both echoing nicely to feed into the melancholic sound, and the latter of the two parts coming off a bit hollow and tight, a bit of a contrast to the lower, commanding click of the bass kicks. The guttural vocals are also pushed a bit back in the mix, and it sounds fantastic with the light echo utilized to really give the crushing tone of the album a contradiction to what beauty the music often incorporates.

Right from the start, the majesty of Majestic Downfall can be felt through the beautiful acoustic introduction that quickly gives way to a faster, grim tone the moment the precursor ends and the actual song explodes to life. The second it does, the music immediately hooks the listener with a cold yet somewhat beautiful tone that becomes overwhelming, but in a good way. The rich music immediately commands your head to bang along in its melancholic approach, which the listener easily will obey. Even as the song continues to slow down and gives way to an atmospheric-charged yet relaxing approach, you'll find such neck movements involuntary, even while relaxing and letting the compositions flow over you. But while this song really introduces what to expect on the release, nothing can really prepare you for the longest song off the release, "From Black to Dead." This is a superb example of Death Metal and Doom Metal done right. The atmosphere, while still retaining a slight melodic beauty, also has a great deal of passion and emotion found fueling it, largely in the vocals, as well as the tone of the music that comes off as if a grim battle zone, sticking you right in the middle of it to behold the dismal carnage. The slower moments really take a toll on the listener, pushing that grim visage more than the heavier moments, all of which are infectiously catchy and transitioned well from one to the next. The entire eleven and a half minutes go by quick, and shows that this is an album meant to be savored.

"Army of Salvation" is another track that is meant to just be taken in. The additional Death Metal groove to the track is perfect for the dismal approach and abrasive guttural vocals without losing much of the Doom Metal atmosphere, finding the foundation of this style everywhere but the verses that breed an old-school touch to the first of the two styles mentioned. The guitar solo here isn't too impressive, but it does match the slower, depressive tones of the non-Death Metal input. All of the transitions between the two elements are transitioned nicely, though the jumping from energetic to melancholic is a little rough to contend with given how seamlessly the concepts were meshed together on other tracks. "Cronos" also steps out a bit from he mold, largely due to its rough harmonized vocals and slightly more melodic standpoint. The vocals here are done with the same amount of energy as the rest of the album's guttural performances, but you cannot help but cringe sometimes, feeling like too much enthusiasm was brought in which caused some cracks in the shifting pitches, as well as some off-key sections. The layering that is done here is very effective though, and shows off that range nicely, having higher rasps and deep growls behind the harmonized passages.

But one of the biggest issues here is that it can feel like there are short moments where the song feels drawn out. This isn't something that really pops up throughout the album, but here you can pick up on some of the slower sections in "From Black to Dead" rather easily, though not the acoustic pieces that bring the song back to the intro of "The Blood Dance," that don't really feel as strong as the rest of the track, and end up coming off a bit bland in comparison. While much of "From Black to Dead" really belts out emotion, atmosphere, and energy, some portions of the track just feel lifeless and devoid of all three, but still mildly engaging to keep the listener somewhat attentive. "Dimension Plague" ends up starting off a bit rough, and one might rush to judgement on this and claim the same kind of "filler" as with "From Black to Dead" at times, but it's far from lifeless. Instead the start just feels a little more toned down compared to some of the more atmospheric and emotional sections, but as you progress through the just over eight minute song, it slowly builds upon itself into another beautiful yet dismal track that shows how appropriate that start ends up being to the final product. It ends about the same way it starts, a slower pace that focuses more on a Doom Metal concept that slows down the growing more intense and grand sound that began to progress into a semi-impressive guitar solo that matched the brooding atmosphere well.

Despite those elements and that harmonization gone slightly awry, The Blood Dance makes for a fantastic album. Yes, there are moments that feel dull and don't quite live up to the expectations that "The Blood Dance" and "From Black to Dead" promise, but overall Majestic Downfall really sets an example of how well Death Metal and Doom Metal can be combined, as if a new set of blueprints for the many generic or stereotypical sounding groups to follow. The beauty that can be found amid the cold, grim, melancholic material can be more overwhelming than the actual performance and it's energetic, emotional approach, which is fantastic as it gives you layers upon layers of reasons to keep coming back to this album. There's clearly still room to grow, but for the majority of what is presented here, it's unbelievable that Majestic Downfall doesn't quite have the recognition they deserve, and maybe with Chaos Records bringing this album out properly for 2012, this act will find a home among the many who love this style of music that have yet to have this experience.

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	Digital review copy of this release provided by: Chaos Records via Clawhammer PR.

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