Infernäl Mäjesty – One Who Points to Death

Kenny already told us in the interview with Stijn in 1999(!) that their next album would be much more towards their debut and cult classic ‘None Shall Defy’. Kenny was right! It is just strange that this ‘One Who Points To Death’ is released only now, as 75% of the material was already finished at the time of the interview, and in January 2003 the news had spread that the album was ready!

And now it is the summer of 2004… On the other hand: their debut was released in 1987 and their second in 1998, so with this third studio album it is obvious that Infernäl Mäjesty is not one of the most productive bands within the metal scene.

Anyway, ‘Death of Heaven’ takes off where ‘None Shall Defy’ stopped, and I am sure I am not the only one who hears a strong resemblance with The Haunted’s ‘Bury Your Dead’ in certain guitar parts, and ehm, there’s a piece of a Slayer-classic in it as well…

Infernäl Mäjesty did not stick to the past, but understands it is 2004 nowadays, with new recording techniques and stuff: needless to say that the sound of the album is good, although the bass has been mixed in very prominent. ‘Death of Heaven’ opens great: the typical Death/Thrash of Infernäl Mäjesty is immediately displayed like a hammer in your face! Variations of tempo, breaks, from furious to deadly and slowly (‘Angels and Acid’), the band has not betrayed their typical style, despite the fact that they renewed their rhythm section since the last album.

And that is what I like: bands that stick to their typical style without losing touch with today’s scene and thus preventing themselves from starting to sound outdated. What happens if you pour the eighties style in a modern outfit is clearly displayed on ‘Honey Tongue of Satan’. What also has been maintained is their sense of humor and of taking things not too seriously: how else can you come up with a title like ‘Virgin Blood Tastes Purest At Night’? Hahaha, at least the song itself is not as infantile as you would expect from its title, though it is, in my humble opinion, a bit below the high average of this album. The title track closes this album in a very respectable way.

Throughout the album new drummer Kris DeBoer shows his Death Metal roots by torturing the drum skins in a very impressive way: tight yet never overdone! Especially in Infernäl Mäjesty’s style of compositions he gets the chance to display his skills.

Of course ‘None Shall Defy’ will always remain their cult-classic, yet I can understand it very well if you like this ‘One Who Points To Death’ just as much; it is a great album in the typical old death/thrash style of these Infernäl moose heads and they can be damn proud of this one!

One can never come up to a classical debut (ask Death Angel), but I believe this band at least comes up to the expectations and hope. My compliments for a great old school Death/Thrash album!