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Black Majesty > Sands of Time > Reviews
Black Majesty - Sands of Time

But... the future refused to change - 80%

Demon Fang, January 27th, 2022

By the early 2000s, more melodically-driven, richly layered power metal was coming into the fold. Kamelot’s change from an alright USPM band into their inimitable sound with The Fourth Legacy had them laying down the formula, and Mob Rules provided the assist with a riffier take on it. But it’s Black Majesty who brought the thunder! Fuck, you want richly layered melodies? You’re in the right place. With each listen of Silent Company and Tomorrowland, they further unravel until their infectious qualities truly set. They’re like onions – they got layers. But what about Sands of Time, what about the debut album which those two would build upon? Well, on one hand, it’s clear from the offset that Black Majesty already had their voice (so to speak) in mind. But on the other, well, even the first wheels were kind of square-ish.

So here’s the thing – when Sands of Time is on its game, it’s a damn good album. “Fall of the Reich” kicks things off with a bang, showing some real fuckin’ power with mid-paced riffs like they mean it, a large and highly memorable chorus, and a deceptively understated vocal performance courtesy of John Cavaliere. It may seem as if he’d opt for a more silky smooth affectation throughout ala Roy Khan, albeit with more power behind them. Granted, it goes splendidly with the more sobering piano-laden climax, “Lady of the Lake” – a rare breed of power metal ballad that’s actually good. But then go through a song like “Journeys End” and tell me this guy can’t belt out those wails convincingly. When they’re juxtaposed by energetic percussion backing up an ever-escalating power metal jig, he can’t help but belt out those higher, more energetic notes! “Colliding Worlds” has him going full Messiah Marcolin. Helps that the keyboards provide a more majestic vibe to proceedings.

Much of its qualities comes with how it hooks you in with either a killer lead or a seemingly unassuming riff, only to reveal itself as being oh so much more. How each riff builds off one another, how the chorus – be it bigger than Jesus or the most up-tempo portion of the song – manages to worm its way into your subconscious, how the solos bridge the songs ever so perfectly, and how everything coalesces into a series of songs that aren’t about to leave your head. This especially shows with “Guardian”. What’s that, the verses chug and the chorus doesn’t have a lot going for it outside of Cavaliere’s vocals? Well, the way that these chugs work with Cavaliere’s more melancholic lows and desperate wails while the chorus escalates with a remarkably understated lead/riff combo ends up giving it a more atmospheric, emotional quality that makes it as addicting as the rest, as well as the epic quality that its actual epic lacks.

But then we hit more generic joints like “Sands of Time” and “No Sanctuary”, which have less invigorating melodies that never really go anywhere all that interesting, and it’s clear that when this album isn’t on, it’s… alright I guess. Granted, part of it is that these songs are coming off much better ones – going from the invigorating duo of “Fall of the Reich” and “Legacy”, as well as the moodier vocal showcase “Guardian”, into something a little more lethargically paced and less involved can certainly induce some whiplash. Nevertheless, it’s amazing how it goes from being exciting and spellbinding to general and boring. There are times where Janevski and Mohammed dig deep into some hard-hitting riffs and push them through with a Static-X level of drive. Those give you “Legacy” and “Journeys End”. When they provide half-hearted chugs and dull repetitive compositions, you end up with “No Sanctuary”. “Beyond Reality” unfortunately hits this low. Its chorus is moderately catchy and Cavaliere provides some slick vocals, but its melodies don’t quite escalate properly, building up to its more understated chorus with limp riffs. “Lady of the Lake” saves this album from ending on a whimper, I tell you what!

Nevertheless, there was clearly something in the air during the creation process of Sands of Time, and that’s why – even with a few not-so good songs – it showed a band hungry for success. At a time where Kamelot was the force to be reckoned with while Statovarius had declined hard and Gamma Ray and Rhapsody were soon to follow, Black Majesty showed us… well, the few of us who listened to it back in 2003, anyway, that power metal could still mean business!

Power Metal Majesty. - 91%

hells_unicorn, March 16th, 2008

Although something of a darling in the critical field, Black Majesty has had a hard time finding an audience due to the large collection of viable power metal acts out there. My friends know about them because I often play this album on road trips, particularly when I’m in the mood for something triumphant sounding, but I am usually the one who introduces them to others. To the band’s credit, their music is very accessible and usually wins over a listener at first hearing it, which further gives credence to the sentiment that the mainstream music media doesn’t always get the job done.

The band’s sound is a unique blend of older power metal acts, mostly bringing up memories of classic outfits such as Sanctuary, late 80s Iron Maiden, and Angel Dust. If I had to compare them to a more recent outfit, although the difference in the sound of the lead vocals is pretty huge, Cryonic Temple would be my pick. They stand apart from most mainline melodic outfits such as Stratovarius and Rhapsody, but also rely on a denser atmosphere with some significant keyboard usage unlike the heavier side of the coin such as Paragon and Rage. Vocalist John Cavaliere is of particular interest as he shares some similar traits with Ray Adler and Warrel Dane, but among the flock of singers out there he is a unique blend of power and clarity.

The songs themselves stand pretty well alone, but there is an overlying consistency to the whole album that makes a listen straight through the preferred route for the listener. The general vibe is that of a grand knight from somewhere between the 8th and 12th century off on some sort of quest to reclaim his honor. While definitely not the first to touch on this approach to subject matter, the band carries it extremely well through a combination of well conceived riffs and an effective blend of atmospheric elements. The choruses always tend to be the focal point, owing to a regular use of backup vocal tracks and a dense layering of guitars and keyboards. The axe men in this outfit prove to be no slouches at shredding either, and any doubters on this aspect of their sound are encouraged to listen to the lead interchanges on “Beyond Reality”, which also happens to be the strongest track on here.

Although no song on here is really skip-worthy, there are naturally a couple of songs on here that are repeat-worthy. The title track has this brilliant Blind Guardian inspired acoustic intro that screams “A Past and Future Secret” before launching into some solid speed metal ala early Fates Warning. “Guardian” gets my pick for the best catchy anthem, while maximizing the amount of different riff ideas you can get out of a simple 4 chord progression. But again, for the best overall performance by all members in congress, resulting in the most exciting overall result, “Beyond Reality” is the king of the mountain. Everything else has its individual charm, but these 3 sum up the approach of the band the best.

As far as who would like this album, basically anyone who likes either the atmospheric tendencies of the Helloween and Rhapsody crowd, or the fans of the riff happy Iron Savior and Rage approach to power metal will have their sound represented here. Few bands can walk the line between the true heaviness of the latter and employ keyboards as effectively as the former, and along with Cryonic Temple this band pulls it off nicely. Before bands began branching off into these 2 quite different schools of power metal, most acts employed a good measure of both, and it is refreshing to see a band bring back this sound with the necessary updates in production and a keen sense of songwriting.

Solid Debut - 86%

myxomatosis04, May 7th, 2007

As I have read many reviews from this website, I thought it was about time to write my own review. As I am Australian, I thought what would be a better place to start then from a great Australian band who is fairly unknown around the metal world. BLACK MAJESTY.

Enough about me, the album I am reviewing is their debut full-length album. After releasing a now sold out 3 track ep, (all songs feature on this album) in 2002 the band was quickly snapped up by Limb Music on a 5 album deal! , Which they are now including their 2007 (tommorland) release to come are 3 full albums into.

Black Majesty is essentially a power metal band with great melody. However they are not your typical European power metal as they do not give you the over the top HAPPY feel to their chorus's. They have more of a U.S. power metal feel I guess you could say, more like bands such as kamelot or classic bands such as Iron Maiden or Blind Guardian.

Black Majesty's carefully calculated use of speedy drums and muted guitars is a very effective way of invoking drama and heightens the impact on the music, unlike other bands that over-use those sorts of passages. Most tracks have a great charging sound with a very effective verse/pre-chorus/chorus style and the abundance of harmonized leads and melodic harmony thirds shows the Maiden influence on this band. Most tracks include heavy mid-speed riffage mixed in with more subtle quieter passages, although they defiantly have some up temp songs that just seem to roll along at the speed of an panther after any form of meat (the first track fall of the reich is a great example).

I really enjoyed this album. It may lack some originality, but this is a very solid band that plays a great brand of melodic power metal; heavy enough for the Iced Earth, Brainstorm type of power metal fans but also with the melody and harmony of the European power metal bands to satisfy fans of that genre. Influences from classic metal bands like Maiden, Queensryche and Savatage give the band a dramatic and exciting style. The only real fault with this album is that after 4 or 5 tracks, the band seems to follow a standard song writing formula and as a result, an album that is full of great sounding songs, has only a few that stand out above the rest. The chorus’s start to sound similar to each other and the only thing to give some of the songs a unique identity are the tempo changes and instrumental sections. Overall, a great new band from Australia and one that I'm sure will mature into something special. Since most of the bigger metal bands don't seem to want to tour Australia, the only way for them to experience great metal is to "grow their own" so to speak. and this is pretty high quality.

It definetly grows on you... - 94%

Empyreal, March 17th, 2007

Why don't more people know about this band? I've talked to about one guy in my life who knows them, aside from reading reviews on other sites for them, and the one here. It's sad, really, because this band plays power metal of extremely high quality. This is power metal that reinforces the "POWER" part of the genre's name, and they're doing a fucking good job of it in little old Australia, while the Stratovarius and Rhapsody and Helloween clones float around in the bleakness of the rest of the world.

Black Majesty burst onto the scene about 5 years ago, and released this debut album a year later. At the helm are the wailing vocals of Gio Cavaliere, who sounds a tad bit like Messiah Marcolin of ex-Candlemass fame when he's not backed up by gang/choir vocals (which Black Majesty do on their choruses, a lot), but eh, that's stretching it, because his style is very unique, and not really easy to compare to anyone. The guitar team does a good job, with some very cool riffs, most notable on the colossal "Colliding Worlds" especially, and the solos are all very nice, although they seem rather...muted, somehow. Not as loud as the big, fat riffs here, that's for sure.

Most of the songs here are shining examples of mid- or up-tempo power metal glory. "Journey's End", the title track, and "No Sanctuary" are very solid and flow excellently, with nifty soloing and riffage. "Legacy" and "Fall of the Reich" are more traditional power metal tracks, with catchy choruses and Fates Warning-esque song structures. And my favorite track here is the gigantic "Colliding Worlds" with that huge, ominous chorus that crushes you like a maggot, and the most varied vocal preformance on the disc, plus a very cool outro riff. Holy fuck, what a song!

The token epic track, 8 minutes in length, is "Beyond Reality." While this is a good song, it doesn't seem to come together very well as a whole. The vocal lines are all very good, and the parts of the song are all fine and dandy just like the rest of the album, but this young band doesn't seem to have it in them at their inception to make a full fledged epic, and have it stand out. It's not a bad song, and this is just a rookie mistake. Nothing to fret over. But holy shit, just listen to Cavaliere's range at the end!

They do other things well, too, as "Guardian" and "Lady of the Lake" are slower numbers, showcasing Cavaliere's amazing range and power. "Guardian" is remniscent of old Fates Warning (maybe because both bands have a song named this, but the comparison is a good one), in it's midpaced, atmospheric 6 minutes of length, and it's one of the best on here. A very basic Black Majesty song, good to introduce people to the band. Maybe that's why they have it on their Myspace.

Black Majesty are exceptionally well versed with their ballads, as it shows here on "Lady of the Lake." If only we had more ballads like this in metal. This song isn't sappy or cheesy, not a bit. The pianos are beautiful, and Cavaliere's sleek, smooth voice does wonders here. If you're like me, and can tolerate ballads, this song should be at the top of your list, because it's magnificent, brilliant, and any other superlatives you'd use to describe a song of this quality.

Aside from a few weaker tracks (the title track, "No Sanctuary", and "Beyond Reality"), this is a very good debut. It won't stun you immediately, and it won't be your favorite at first listen. This is one that grows on you, and it's truly a gem. These Australian metallers are going quite a long way, and I'll be happy to see them become masters of this style of music someday. Highly recommended.