Majesty: Exaltation I - IV | Cold And Raw Black Metal
(2024 – Independent)
Can you imagine an album with just one track? Or rather, an EP with a single, extremely long track? Well, that’s exactly what we find on the debut release by Majesty, an ambient Black Metal project from Arizona, United States, which—as has become the norm lately—consists of a single member: in this case, the mysterious Dösborn, who turns out to be the driving force behind Majesty, playing all the instruments and handling all the production himself, except for the orchestral arrangements.
In fact, this EP—aptly titled “Exaltation I-IV”—consists of a single song called “Exaltation,” which is divided into four distinct parts, hence the Roman numerals. However, its defining feature is that it is a single track, with the minutes and seconds marking the transition from one part to the next clearly indicated. We can give it credit for originality, but not for its theme, which centers on the cold and harsh winter—a subject that, for Black Metal, is perhaps already redundant.
The first part of “Exaltation” (“I,” to be more precise) runs from 0:00 to 02:34 and features a fast and furious barrage of blast beats with background orchestration and an atmosphere reminiscent of Nordic black metal, whereas when moving on to “Exaltation II,” things become much more atmospheric and remind us why Majesty is categorized within the atmospheric spectrum of Black Metal, while maintaining a sonic and compositional continuity with the previous part.
There’s a consistent thread throughout “I–IV” that has to do with the orchestral arrangements in the background, which provide a “Dark Ambient” framework for the entire piece—since, ultimately, we’re talking about the same song with different sections. Thus, in “III,” we have a continuation based almost entirely on the same chords and the typical speed of the most extreme style of Metal. and finally, in the last part—titled, like the rest, with a Roman numeral (“IV”)—we find a slight variation in the composition, with a truly orchestral opening and a concept that takes Majesty in a more harmonious and melodic direction overall, always combined with heavy blast beats and the typical guttural vocals, and featuring a beautiful ending that’s both somber and cold at the same time.
And that’s it, at least as far as this first EP is concerned. Yes, there’s a second part of the same song (“Exaltation”) divided into four more sections, on another EP titled—yes, you guessed it—“Exaltation V–VIII,” but we’ll save that for another time when we can get our hands on it and give it a listen.
As for “Exaltation I–IV,” and beyond its unique characteristics, the truth is that Majesty’s sound features a certain progressive and ambient tendency that lies well beneath the devastating foundation of black metal in all its aggression. The background orchestration lends it a purely cold and dark atmosphere, which blends very well with the Christian-themed lyrics, highlighting the unique aspects of winter as one of God’s creations.
The sound may not be the most outstanding, but it’s important to keep in mind that Majesty is a self-managed, independent project—though a good mix could greatly improve the final result. Setting that aside, the fact is that the sound on “I – IV” comes across as raw, abrasive, and rough, which contrasts with the album’s ambient style.
As for the artwork, it aligns with the album’s theme and doesn’t stand out particularly, though the design of the inner sleeve and the CD itself is worth noting—it lends the album a mysterious, cold, and distant aura, just like Majesty’s extreme sound.
Only for those seeking solitude, cold, darkness, and extreme metal. That seems to be Majesty’s premise with “I–IV”—and, why not, for anyone looking to explore the world of black metal through an album that blends “dark ambient”-style orchestration with the most dizzying elements of extreme metal.
Here are the social media links for Majesty and also for the folks at Extreme Records in Brazil, where you can purchase and obtain a physical copy of this album…
https://www.extremerecords.com.br
