Majestic Downfall / Ansia - Split CD (Split cd)
Solitude Productions

file under doom metal

Richard G.: To underline the international character of the metal scene: subject for today is the doom split CD ‘Split CD’ between the Mexican project ‘Majestic Downfall’ and the Italian band Ansia, released by the Russian label Solitude Productions. Long live the internet!

Majestic Downfall, a one man band, is first up with three of his creations. Jacobo likes a traditional approach akin to the first Anathema records with a touch of Officium Triste thrown in for good measure/ What you get is heavy, relatively slow and of course very sad, but also with a tad of romanticism. The songs are far from original but do manage to hit the right emotional spot. In the first two songs Jacobo should have left out the high-pitched slightly dissonant keyboard melodies, because they simpley hurt my ears. http://www.majesticdownfall.com/

Ansia take over with their three contributions. These guys are not as straight forward as their split mate and really take their time to introduce and outroduce their funeralistic sounds with long, solemn piano parts and/or creepy parts of radio drama. Their songs mainly revolve around bringing across an incredibly atrabilious atmosphere accompanied by an unintelligible, audibly painful scream originating straight from some unbelievably unpleasant place. The chords only progress seldom and slowly and the 35 minutes that Ansia takes to end the split album are as uplifting as an obituary at Christmas. Very impressive stuff, but not for the emotionally instable. http://www.myspace.com/ansiaband

Rating:

http://www.solitude-prod.com