From I, Voidhanger Record’s press release, “Majestas is a six track exploration of the religious life of man, focusing on profound and powerful, overwhelming spiritual experiences from cultures and traditions across the world," explains the band. In essence, it is a mystic journey undertaken in an attempt to find the human in the divine and vice versa through spiritual practices and religious experiences that, while different from one another, are united by the human need to find answers to the great mystery of existence.”

“Organs Dissolved in Lacquer” is first, and the opening tones are very dark, chaotic, and harrowing. The vocals are filthy, and the music seems to get darker as the track moves forward. This is the kind of sound you aren’t prepared for, and the title of the song brings up images of absolute horror. It’s part rage, and part utter despair. “Dead to the World” is another incredibly dark song, and I love the depths that the band transcends in their world. Cold winds howl, and tension remains behind. Although the tones are clean at first, they are still very desolate. Thick bass notes accompany the sound, and the vocals stain the landscape black.

“Ascension” is evil incarnate from the start. The instruments create a veritable wall of sound, and the vocals breath fire over them. The title of the song seems to divert to the opposite direction, right into the very pit of Hell. “In Reverence of Pain” features some vocal chants in the beginning that hint at ritualistic sacrifice. Add in the metal strikes, and the thick bass notes, and you can visualize the torture. Pain is too innocuous of a word to describe what is happening here…it’s more like excruciating agony that is off the standard pain scale. “ الخمرية (Ode to Wine)” has an almost jazzy swing in the drums and bass, but the background noise reminds you of what you are listening to. The clean vocals (Latin?) declare things that seem normal, but are anything but.

“Too Look Upon Your Own Skeleton” closes the album, and it’s the longest. It burns with rage, with intensity, and it so hot, you can’t go anywhere near its core. Like a nuclear reactor that is melting down, it will kill you with radiation. Every turn of the song is filled with danger, and there is nowhere to hide. Banshees scream in your ears, threatening to drive you mad, over the brink. Overall, this is black metal refined, not by restraint, but by vision — a record that fully embraces the genre’s chaotic foundations while elevating its terror through craft, atmosphere, and intention. It understands the genre’s roots in horror and uses that knowledge with purpose, and it knows where to press, how long to hold, and when to whisper. This is the sound of something ancient waking up and remembering us.