Citadel â Descension [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]
By Kenstrosity
2025 has been a banner year for the long form in my book. With such high-ranking triumphs from TĂłmarĂșm, An Abstract Illusion, and Flummox in rotation, youâd think there wouldnât be any time left for another. Yet, New Jersey trio1 Citadel dropped the lush and dramatic Descension upon the Earth back in late March, and itâs never left my rotation since.
Descension is the kind of album that reminds me of many, but punches with a weighty impact matched by so few. Highly reminiscent of olde Opeth in terms of structure and scale, Citadelâs songwriting attacks like Carnosus and emotes like An Abstract Illusion. As a result, these seven tracksâthe shortest of which clocks in at seven-and-a-half minutesâare packed with vicious riffs, brimming with weepy melodies, and bursting with explosive energy. Thankfully, primary songwriter Ameer Aljallad had the foresight to allow each of his sprawling excursions their soft side as well. Buttery transitions from crushing riff-fests to delicate dalliances afford Descension a tangible dimensional depth and an inviting character.
Easily one of the strongest songs released this year, âSorrow of the Thousandth Deathâ explores and expounds upon Citadelâs many virtues. At a mind-boggling nine minutes and change, the ravenous progressive death charge this track propels summons a spine-rending surge of momentum with an uncanny ease. Instantly memorable just for this indelible moment, it continues to impress with a fantastic assortment of riff variations and evolutions that carry the weight of the trackâs runtime as I would a feather on my shoulderâalmost as if it wasnât even there. Other highlights like âCrescent Dissentientâ and âDownwards Everâ accomplish the same feat, but with their own voice. The former shadows the soundscape with a blackened char and a bellowing cello refrain, mixed with an Aquilus-esque piano Ă©tude in its midsection, that exhibits Citadelâs versatility as songwriters and performers. In the latterâs case, boisterous bass plucking, multilayered tremolo sweeps, and a brassy trumpet bring in a swaggering sass to the affair; not strong enough to upend what Descension constructed up to that point but certainly enough to give it a noticeable and delightful twist.
Even without these particularly vivid highlights singled out, Descension is still a significant triumph of mood and movement. Every passing minute immerses me further into the wondrous worlds Citadel conjure along this journey. Each song ties to the last and begets the next, but owes neither its loyalty or dependence. âUnder the Primrose,â for example, sets itself apart with eerie cleans against bright, airy melodies, evoking visions not unlike those penned by Lewis Carrol in his writing. Even so, its placement at the center of the runtime serves a critical role not just to its own success as the lightest offering, but also to the success of its neighbors and of the whole. Thunderous closer âAs Oneâ does the same for the second half, resolving the proggy lilt of âA Shadow in the Mistâ and the tumultuous drama of âDownwards Everâ in a crushing campaign of highly melodic riffs, howling rasps, and pummeling rhythms that only make sense as the final destination for everything that came before.
Rare is the record of this style and structure that captures my undivided attention back to front, but Citadel is an unqualified success on that front. Dramatic, emotive, and energetic, Descension is easily their best work, and will be incredibly difficult to follow up. But itâs far too early to worry about that. For now, sit back and enjoy ov deep Descension!
Tracks to Check Out: âSorrow of the Thousandth Death,â âCrescent Dissentient,ââ âDownwards Ever,â âAs Oneâ
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