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It's been almost 10 years since my first taste of Immolation with Failures for Gods, which was also one of my very first death metal albums – back then the genre had yet to click with me. Fast forward and this has changed, but Immolation haven't changed all that much: the band remain true to their signature sound, deviating enough so as to not have albums that all sound the same, but not so much as to alienate their fan base.

Majesty and Decay is no exception – no artsy crap, no hardcore meddling, no attempt to "sound deep" with emotional clean vocals. Just slow to mid-paced, heavy as fuck wall-rattling death metal, Immolation style. Whereas many of their contemporaries bet the bank on speed-speed-speed and annoying constant blast beats, Immolation just stick to their tried and tested bass-heavy pounding metal, with crunchy riffs and squealing solos and with drum patterns that send your brain swirling in your skull. The low death growls haven't changed – mostly decipherable, present enough but not overshadowing the music, and thankfully the band hasn't jumped on the "let's screaaaam" bandwagon that's been afflicting a lot of releases this past couple of years.

Majesty and Decay doesn't really bring anything new to Immolation's sound, but the very good production, the band sounding tighter than ever and a collection of solid tracks is sure to please fans and newcomers alike, though I doubt that it'll bring on board those who didn't like them before. Solid, crushing death metal. Recommended.