Horrific Majesty - In Shadows Eternal

From the frozen wasteland of Alabama comes the grim black metal band, Horrific Majesty.  This six-song EP clocks in at about 32 minutes, so it's almost as long as some full lengths.  The sound throughout the albums is slow to mid-tempo with a dark and depressing feel.  Their record label advertises this as being for fans of Burzum and Xasthur, and I would definitely agree.  Although the production here is even worse than the aforementioned bands.  But if you love this style of black metal, the production will not be much of an issue for you.  You still have the harsh, shrieking vocals that are nearly impossible to follow even with a lyric sheet, the blistering, shrill, droning guitars, and the cold, eerie drumming.  In fact, the vocals kinda blend in with the music on most of the songs to where it's almost just another instrument.  They also make use of some occasional keys and even some cool rumbling thunder to start the track "Death of Dreams."  The production is very bass heavy though and this morning on the way to work I turned the bass down to zero in my truck and the bass was very prominent.

While I only have a promo of this and while most underground releases like this have pitiful packaging, Son of Man Records is advertising that this release is not a CD-R and that it will have better packaging then what you might have seen from their label in the past.  And as far as lyrics go for this release, they are very dark and full of topics of regret and dismay.  While the lone member is a Christian, this is not a happy, full of hope release lyrically or musically.

So, what do I think overall?  This is a style that I have to be in the mood to listen to.  I definitely wouldn't pull this out every day to pop into the CD player.  I do enjoy the haunting feel and the grim vocals.  But truthfully, there are much better bands doing this style of black metal.  But for what it's worth, fans of this genre will probably dig it.

Rating: 56/100

Review By: Matt Morrow

Label: Son of Man Records

Total Songs: 6

Total Time: 32:47

Tracklisting: 1. Lost in Your Emptiness, 2. Death of Dreams, 3. World of Waste, 4. Conflagration of the Wicked, 5. In Shadows Eternal, 6. A Soul Decays in Darkness.

Best Songs: Tracks 2 & 3.

Band Lineup: Horrific - Guitars/Bass/Keyboards/Drums/Vocals

Band Website: http://www.horrificmajesty.sonofmanrecords.com/  &  http://www.myspace.com/horrificmajesty