Review Summary: Get ready to enter the kingdom of thrash
From the lightning speed guitar solos that kick off the album on 'Overlord’ to the satanic lyricism of the brutal title track, there’s simply no escaping the wrath of Infernal Majesty’s debut album. Released in 1987, the appropriately named
None Shall Defy is a true gem of the thrash genre and should not be dismissed by anyone who takes a little metal with their morning coffee.
Formed out of Canada, Infernal Majesty seem to have learned from the best and they rarely put their foot to the brake on this release. The drumming is furious, the bass is impressive, and perhaps most importantly, the vocals are demented. The vocalist has a deeper growl than a lot of other bands in the genre, which is likely to please both fans of death metal and thrash alike. However, it’s the manic delivery that makes the vocals so intimidating on this record. At times, such as on the opening track or ‘Skeletons in the Closet’, he’s so damn fast it’s hard to keep up with his spastic performance. Other times his low, raspy vocals are easier to understand, but just as skillful and add character to every song.
The production on
None Shall Defy is slightly raw, but not enough that you can’t hear the evil instrumentation that outlines every track. One of the most enjoyable moments on the album has to be the one-two punch of ‘R.I.P/Night of the Living Dead.’ Some excellent guitar-work on ‘R.I.P.’ leads into the next track which is 7 minutes of heavy riffing alongside one of the most enjoyable vocal performances on the album. The song benefits from taking its time rather than just being a lesson in speed, but isn’t any less sinister than its surrounding tracks as it's backed by some of the most terrifying lyricism on the entire record.
This isn’t just your typical thrash release. It’s a relentless ride into the darkest recesses of your imagination. Whether you usually stick to death metal, thrash, or even black metal, there’s a little something for everyone to enjoy on this fantastic effort. It’s one of the most unforgiving and well crafted albums in the genre and it never loses steam throughout its 50 minutes of thrashing. In fact, it will have you coming back for more, in exchange for your soul, of course.
