Mexico’s (and Latin America’s, for that matter) foremost death-doom Majestic Downfall outfit return with their sixth studio album, Aorta. Though we can’t exclude other Central and South American death-doom outfits here–like Mar de Grises (Chile), Poema Arcanvs (Chile), and fucking Mythological Cold Towers (Brazil)–Querétaro-based Majestic Downfall are out-doing their brethren on this side of the Atlantic, as well as weeping harder and suffering more than their European influences. Indeed, Aorta is heavily injected by Finnish doom-death (Swallow the Sun), American doom-death (Evoken), and Swedish death-doom (October Tide), but there’s a different strain of sorrow at play. Perhaps this is the anguish of Mexican sun, the despair of long-dead Otomí souls (by the Aztecs), or the pre-human beam of fire opals that are mined from the surrounding mountains that are imbued in Majestic Downfall’s heavy-deathly-sad sound.
Formed in 2006 in Dallas, Majestic Downfall eventually migrated southward. Featuring members of Zombiefication, Dies Irae, Shemhamphorash, and Ticket to Hell, the quartet have persevered, releasing six full-lengths (counting Aorta) via labels like My Kingdom Music, Chaos Records, Pulverised Records, and now Mexico-based indie Personal Records. Say Majestic Downfall: “As with all the Majestic Downfall releases, each one has its own identity and Aorta is no exception to the rule. This time the composition had a new approach and involved more collaboration from the other members than before, where even if Jacobo was in charge of the base and primal arrangements, Wero, Poncho and Aly developed further ideas for a completely richer album.
“This definitely translated to the longest songs the band has ever done. Four songs in 70 minutes of pure death/doom clearly depict this idea. I think we managed to create a sort of doom metal ‘soundtrack’ that goes from very introspective moments, to darker ones, to emotional ones and all in between. We are not saying this is the best album the band has ever done–that is always an overstatement when a new album comes out, but what we can surely agree on as a band, is that everything done in Aorta is 100% Majestic Downfall quality. We’ll never go lower than that nor release anything we are not proud of.
“[The cover] art was done by Oscar De Las Flores, a twisted mind living in Oaxaca, México. The recording process was once again tracked in Mexico at BraveSound and Antigua Recordings while the mix and master was done by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus–a person and studio that surely need no introduction.”