Everyone... Welcome to the Orgy of Destruction! This is a new feature that I'll be doing with the blog, where basically every week I'll review an older/classic album, that I feel is truly under appreciated or just not well known enough when it should be. And what better album to kick this series off then Infernal Majesty's masterpiece, None Shall Defy?
For those of you who have never heard or heard of Infernal Majesty before, they are a thrash band from the great white north of Canada. I'm sure that when people think of Canada, the first bands that come to mind are Razor, Sacrifice, Voivod, Annihilator, etc. Well None Shall Defy can easily compete with all of those bands' best albums, and can even surpass them.
What really separates Infernal Majesty from those bands though, is their overall sound and aura, which can only be described in two words... FUCKING EVIL. The only album that I find more evil sounding than this record is Altars of Madness, and I wouldn't doubt it if this album was a huge influence for Morbid Angel when they were writing it. "Night of the Living Dead" is a perfect example of how to capture a sinister, dark feeling for a song without any need for keyboards or symphonic effects. For seven minutes this song slays the listener with it's absolute heaviness as well as the melodies found on the track to maximize the devilish presence, but the true evil found here is at the end when those chants come in with the heavy riff backing it.
However, being evil isn't enough to make this record great, but luckily Infernal Majesty understand the importance of writing a song that holds the listener's attention. There's a nice variety of riffs to be found here from proto-death metal sounding riffs to fast thrashy riffs, all the way to doom-laden riffs that will hit you like a semi truck. Not only is there a nice variety of riffs, but they're all structured very well throughout the songs. "Anthology of Death" is a brilliant track and it's because of it's great use of changing the tempos and riffs throughout the song, as well as incorporating some amazing lead guitar work and showcasing the bass playing talents of "Psycopath." (No I didn't spell it wrong).
This album is one that simply must be heard in order to understand, just how brilliant it truly is. There isn't a single bad track to be found and each is different from the next, but they are all guaranteed to send chills down your spine. The best tracks here are definitely the title track, with one of the most catchy choruses I've ever had the pleasure of hearing and the epic and haunting "Night of the Living Dead." If you haven't heard this album yet, do yourself a favor and get your hands on it, I guarantee you'll love it.
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