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Released on August 7, 2015 via Pulverised Records
Some bands rock and some bands don’t, the latter group preferring arrangements where tension builds, more than simply following a pop song formula. Majestic Downfall’s …When Dead is the furthest thing from stanza-bridge-chorus songwriting. The songs feature arrangements that flow and evolve as each riff closes. Each transition marks an indistinguishable final chapter in a song segment. …When Dead is mostly comprised of pieces, not standard songs.
Lovers of casual death metal may find this boring. In fact, folks who like artsy-farsty metal may also look elsewhere after a brief listen to …When Dead. The segments just don’t stick out and there are no particularly memorable moments in any of the songs. It becomes an increasingly difficult listen as the band slow down to a crawl and the guitarist downpicks slowly to the slogging beat.
Not to say that there are absolutely no positives on Majestic Downfall’s …When Dead. In brief moments during track three, ‘The Brick, The Concrete’, the band pick up the pace and do so with good chord transition riffs that prompt a headbang or two. When the band plays doom tempos however, the rung notes sound too predictable. Majestic Downfall doesn’t ring out the notes like Svartidaudi does, but Majestic Downfall’s objective isn’t to inject dissonant prog in their music. They opt for a simpler approach to writing riffs. As a result, when the band utilizes blastbeats, the riffs hardly make an impression. Afterwards, they play licks like they do a lot on album opener, title track, ‘…When Dead’. Said licks are the most distinct element used in the album.
The songs are epic. The extensive length of the songs suits the band’s M.O. In order to space the segments from one another the riffs need to spread them out. Check out aforementioned track three for the album highlight, but be warned, it’s hardly a fist-pumper. The band never overplay a riff, no matter how few the good ones seem to number. Majestic Downfall varies the tempos almost to a fault.
Fans of cinematic arrangements to doom/death metal might like this effort. The lyrics keep pace with the riffs, the riffs lock in to the beats, and for brief moments during this album, MajesticDownfall remind me of Gothic-era Paradise Lost – minimalist, going slow, then fast, then back again, while melodic solos occasionally provide nuance. The music brings about bleak atmospherics, and when the band use distortion-free guitars and what sounds like keyboards, the band tantalize with momentary bouts of brilliance. Majestic Downfall have not released their best work with …When Dead, but should the band reach their creative zenith, the future looks promising for them.
