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██▌ Artist...: Mysteriarch ░▐██▌
░▐██ Album....: The Majestic Fall ░██▌░
▓▐██ Year.....: 2011 ▓▐██▓
▓▐██ Rel. Date: 2021-05-30 ░▐██▓
▐██ Genre....: Black Metal ██▌░
░ ██▌ Label....: Razed Soul Productions ██▌
▐██ Source...: CD ▐██
░▐██▌ Type.....: Reissue ▐██▌░
▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░
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1. The Majestic Fall 7:11
2. Beneath the Emerald Clouds of Niburu 6:45
3. Blood of Vanquished Heroes (Part I) 2:22
4. Aeons of Ascendancy 6:36
5. Empyreal Legion 6:12
6. Enigma of Sorrows 2:33
7. Sovereignty of the Ancient Lineage 5:01
8. Proclaiming the Throne of Wisdom 5:58
9. Blood of Vanquished Heroes (Part II) 3:28
10. Towards the Apex of Time (Bonus Track) 4:22
11. Renaissance of the Maelstrom (Bonus Track) 4:56
12. Proclaiming the Throne of Wisdom (Bonus Track) 5:43
61:07
"The Majestic Fall" was originally released in 2006 by Ophiucus Records
(as pro-CDr) and then re-released through Razed Soul Productions (as
replicated limited CD-run of 1000) with expanded liner notes plus all 3
songs from the "Renaissance of the Maelstrom" demo as bonus-tracks.
This music fills a need for me. Underneath the rather embarrassing album
art I have found a real surprise. Something that is very rare in
symphonic black metal.
ItÆs dangerous to make comparisons to extremely highly praised work. But
something I cannot escape thinking of when I hear this album is Obtained
EnslavementÆs ôWitchcraftö. Just to be sure I will say that the epic
leads, songwriting, and variety seen in that most hallowed of albums is
not in any way topped or met by this album, but they get much closer in
development than most other bands in this genre would. The main reason
for this comparison is the rather nice and fast as hell leads that weave
constantly through the music. And some of them are actually pretty damn
awesome. Mostly it is lead by guitar with multiple synth lines following
like the wake of a comet. Sometimes harmonizing, sometimes playing in
unison, and occasionally balancing in bright polyphony. But always and
at all times they are spiraling endlessly. This constant motion is
further and obscenely accentuated by the furious drummer who feels
compelled to be blasting every single bar with a quick fill at each
measure. Never once does he let up on this! OK maybe once or twice, but
it feels like there is never an end to it. It is obscenely over the top,
yet remarkably fun and delightful. For when paired with the continuous
flying, cyclic leads the music takes on this moving electric energy that
makes you want to bang your head until there is hemorrhaging around your
brain. Air drumming is becomes an uncontrolled response.
This musical character is employed on every song. The end result it all
runs on like one giant smear of sound. One could definitely argue that
all the songs sound exactly alike and have no character of their own.
But in this case I can gladly say, well if it works so damn well why
stop! Just keep those blasts going man! (back to air drumming)
It would be helpful I feel now to compare this music against the normal
perceptions and realities of symphonic black metal. Again this is one
reason I think of ôWitchraftö. Symphonic black metal is typically
melodic modern black/death all cleaned up and with some accompanying
synthwork. Or it is a broken inexperienced mess full of variety but
lacking in strong structures or really inspiring melodies. It
occasionally is a huge long-winded epic of repetitive rhythms and basic
harmonies sometimes filled to the brim with keyboard layers. ôThe
Majestic Fallö does not fit any of these. Neither does ôWitchcraftö.
Both are characterized by fast, complex dual leads and rich synth
arrangements. Both make the leads and harmonies into the main focus of
their sound. And both are fast and driving. Very few symphonic black
metal bands go this route. There is some differences of course. ôThe
Majestic Fallö has the multi-layered symphonics on every track unlike
ôWitchcraftö. Also, there is less polyphony, variety, and super catchy
riffs. And ôThe Majestic Fallö fells more romantic and fantastic than
ôWitchcraftöÆs sound of aggressive hateful pride. In some sense it makes
this album less violent and more opulent. But for me, I feel that this
is perfectly fine. Sometimes lushness and pretty fantasy impressions are
what I want rather than to beat my chest and howl with rage. But then I
am reminded of the constant blasting and endless speed and I still find
enough masculine energy to make this album stand far above the symphonic
black mass.
Before I wrap this up I want to also volunteer another comparison. The
melodic writing here also reminds me of another album not in this genreà
Fall of the LeafeÆs ôEvanescent Everfadingö. The melodies develop just
like that on that album of melodic/death/folk metal. At least that is
what I hear in the music. And I happen to personally know that Lord
Mysterion listened to that album a lot as well. Try to imagine Obtained
Eslavemnt trying to play like Fall of the Leafe and I feel you have your
best comparison for ôThe Majestic Fallö.
It is a delight to listen to this album. No really a delight. It is fun,
energetic, pretty, and addictive. And when I walk away from it I feel
full of excitement and love for music. I play it frequently. I play it
to The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. I play it in car rides in the country. I
play it while paintingà and splash turpentine drops as I air drum on the
easel with my brush. It is great for anyone like me who loves rich dual
harmonies and lush baroque synth ideas. Unassuming it all appearsà donÆt
be fooled. They may be a small-scale American project, but they have a
rare idea they execute which many bands of higher rank care not to try.
Anyone who loves symphonic black metal or who feels the genre is absent
of edge or quality ideas needs to have this album.
---
I came across Mysteriarch when searching through the various black metal
bands that exist in North Carolina, namely Dreamscapes of the Perverse,
Omniscient and a few others. Eventually, I listened to their myspace
songs (practically their whole debut album is online there) and I was
pleasantly surprised by their style of symphonic black metal. They have
released a very professional sounding album that exhibits obvious
originality, but they unfortunately remain quite obscure in the scene.
This is not really news though, as many bands on this site fit that
description. Mysteriarch play a brand of melodic/symphonic black metal
that I have not quite heard before. The production values are extremely
important to the overall atmosphere of this album as it is almost
exclusively reliant on atmosphere.
This is not symphonic black metal in the the vein of Dreamscapes of the
Perverse, Dimmu Borgir, Vesania, or Cradle of Filth. Those bands are
much more "evil" sounding than this band (whether you take that in a
good way or not is entirely up to you). The comparison I am best able to
come up with would be a more symphonic-oriented Sacramentum. Now if you
are a big fan of Sacramentum (as I am) and you love symphonic black
metal, I am sure you will find that description rather intriguing.
However, this is not neccessarily an accurate one either, but again, it
is the best one I can come up with. You see, Mysteriarch are not as
guitar-oriented as Sacramentum and are a bit less technical concerning
their riffs, not to say that the musicianship is of low quality on "The
Majestic Fall".
Now that I brought up Sacramentum, the albums they have released have
quite a trebly sound, were fairly raw and boasted a"chilling"
atmosphere. If you produced their album in richer and bassier manner,
you would have a great idea as to the production on the "Majestic Fall".
The album has a raw sound, but with a very warm and rich tone. It is
uniquely produced to say the least. You get the feeling of the
ever-cliche battle atmosphere as the synths triumphantly soar throughout
and the tremolo based guitar riffs drive on at a blistering pace.
To be completely honest, this is one of the most elegant sounding
symphonic black metal albums I have come across. Again, the rawness is
really only exhibited through the production, not the music. Their are
hints of somber melodies in some of the symphonic sections, but the
riffing and synths are primarily happy and epic sounding. Guitar-wise,
the riffs are based upon rather original tremolo picked sections and
power chords which are occasionally tremolo picked as well. Although the
sections in which the guitar riffs and symphonic sections are playing
together conjure up images of ancient landscapes and archaic times, it
is also a slight drawback.
Atmosphere is copious on this album, too much I would say. After a
longtime, the songs run together and the melodies and synths that seemed
unique at first, become quite samey. More variation in the riffing style
(less tremolo based) and a few heavier sections would most likely have
brought my score up at least 10 points.
The vocalist has quite a generic and rather distant sounding black metal
rasp. It fits perfectly with the music on display here. Without a lyric
booklet, it may be difficult to understand him though, that is, if you
care. I would liken his rasp to early Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir on "For
All Tid". The drumming is nothing special, but is competent enough and
at least does not detract anything from the music. It seems to give a
lot more room for the keyboard and guitars to shine rather than
displaying unnecessary technicality.
There are more or less three beautiful instrumentals on here, "Blood of
Vanquished Heroes Part I", "Enigma of Sorrows", and "Blood of Vanquished
Heroes Part II" (I say more or less because "Blood of Vanquished Heroes
Part II" is all synth-based except for some cheesey, deep, clean vocals
that are on display for only a short period of time). The "Enigma of
Sorrows" is an entirely acoustic instrumental and displays the
versatility of the guitarist's playing style and composition skills. The
"Blood of Vanquished Heroes" set of songs are synth/keyboard based
instrumentals that mesh perfectly with the album and are by no means
filler. The other 6 tracks are the "true" blazing, symphonic black metal
tracks that are ultimately, very entertaining. If you are looking for
some fresh symphonic/melodic black metal, look no further than
Mysteriach. Overall, this a mesmerizing release and should keep you
entertained for a good while. I understand that these guys are in the
midst of recording a second offering and although this one slightly
disappointed me, you can guarantee I will purchase it as soon as it is
released.
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