Silent Company

Silent Company is an excellent power metal album. Truly, one of the greats of the genre, with a level of richness to its sound rivalled by oh so few. From the very beginning, you’re presented with a whirlwind of riffs that coalesce into hyper-melodic strumming with old mate John Cavaliere providing a set of powerful vocals to drive the song even further forward. “Dragon Reborn” kicks things off just right with a mean hook and a series of catchy melodies therewithin. “Silent Company” keeps things going strong with a peppy composition that’s especially catchy. Everything just seems to be played with a huge level of drive, belting the listener with a bevy of understated majesty wrapped up in a seemingly standard Iron Maiden meets Gamma Ray meets both Arch and Alder Fates Warning… yeah, a seemingly standard power metal joint that becomes increasingly captivating as it unravels itself. A damn good hook begets addicting vocal and riff melodies. That’s basically Silent Company in a nutshell.

Oh okay, there is a bit more to this album than that. Basically, Silent Company takes a bit more of a riff-centered approach to melody-building. There does seem to be more emphasis on pummelling out Iron Maiden/Gamma Ray-style riffing, while still fitting in roughly the same overly melodic framework as Mob Rules and Kamelot, while still having those subtle details that make repeated listenings all that more enticing. Not that songs like “Fall of the Reich” and “Legacy” from the prior album were slacking in that department, but you go through the likes of “Dragon Reborn”, “Firestorm” and “New Horizons” – wading through even more deliciously melodic leads and Cavaliere’s passionate vocals – and it becomes clear just how much stronger their riff game is here. The productions got a bit more beef to it, which only adds to the strength of the riffs and thus the strength of the melodies built with them.

Ultimately, it all comes down to constructing a wholly captivating melody. One where the intro riff or lead grabs you, the chorus absolutely refuses to leave your head, and even the solo bridges each songs’ three-act structures ever so thusly. Even when you end up with “Darkened Memory” which only brings out the riffs for the chorus, it still puts together an infectious tune. A more down-trodden one, contrasting the otherwise more upbeat album with more uplifting leads and whatnot – still, an infectious tune nonetheless. The only other song contrasting the overall mood is their cover of Jon English’s “Six Ribbons”, which takes a somber ballad and turns it into a bonafide (not to mention powerful) Black Majesty tune.

In fact, that’s the best way to describe this album – powerful. Striking compositions beget memorable songs. Cavaliere’s multifaceted vocal range – from sobering to smooth to wailing to belting out those almost dog whistle-pitched notes – add a hell of a lot to the songs, and that’s not even considering the overall harder-hitting riffs tightly constructing those powerful songs. The funny thing is, the first three songs plus the epic, winding finale “A Better Way to Die” are the obvious highlights of the album; if every song here was on par with those four, this would be a certified 10/10, 100% album. As it is, Silent Company is a damn good slice of power metal well worth revisiting.

For a band that knows when consistency is the best route to take after stumbling into near perfection, there is no such thing as a sophomore slump. Black Majesty proves to understand this better than most in spite of their relatively short tenure in the power metal world as a band, and offer up well conceived songs like they’ve been refining their technique since the 80s. While fairly straightforward in their approach, it is a little challenging to fully nail down their sound, apart from the fact that it brings forth images of the black knight as the good guy, in sort of an ironic combination of darkness and triumphant melody. Their melodic material is catchy and symmetrical enough to put them into the Judas Priest and Saxon camp, and yet their atmospheric feel and technical edges put out something of a mid 80s Fates Warning or early Queensryche character.

This time around the masked warrior wielding a massive broadsword gleaming in the moonlight is accompanied by a great lion on the cover, and such is an appropriate image for the work that is “Silent Company”. Everything here, in contrast to the debut, has been amplified into a much larger sound, as if they guitars are just a bit harder, the keyboards a bit more dense, the rhythm section a bit more thunderous, and Gio’s vocals just a tad more powerful. This is apparent right from the beginning of “Dragon Reborn” as a streaming barrage of speeding lead notes to put “Wasted Years” on notice gives way for a glorious anthem of heroic ventures. This is the sort of music that Hammerfall was known for in the late 90s, but with an even more gutsy vocal display and a bit less repetition.

As the album unfolds, a template of constant speed with few breaks unfolds, essentially taking the format of the “Keepers” albums and stripping away all of the rock elements and gimmicks. Between the driving fury of “Firestorm”, “Visionary” and “Never Surrender” there is little room for giving one’s neck a rest, though the vocal lines are so infectious that it is just as likely that one will sing himself hoarse trying to sound like Gio and forget about the obligatory neck damage required for this sort of an experience. Things are taken down a tad with the highly memorable title song and “New Horizons”, but the overall template is still the same and the vocal work actually compensates for the more restrained drumming.

But the highlight of the whole package is actually the lone half-ballad cover song “Six Ribbons”, where Gio’s dynamic range is on full display overtop a folksy and keyboard drenched line, almost perfectly challenging the crooning depth of Geoff Tate as well as his high end wails when things get heavier. There is also a guest female vocal slot that is also performed quite nicely, almost like a lighter, even more angelic version of Sharon Den Adel singing along with something that is almost in the same vain as Kamelot’s “The Sailorman’s Hymn”. The atmosphere behind everything gives off an aura of a warm, late spring landscape at dusk, perhaps somewhere in the lower countryside of England or Wales. In other words, pure poetry, from start to finish.

Although this band came out like a veritable bat out of hell and delivered one of the most amazing displays of songwriting on “In Your Honour”, this is all but barely behind it in terms of quality. This is something that anyone who loves the bouncing melodies of Iron Maiden, the dark atmospheric aesthetics of Arch era Fates Warning, the speed and dueling guitar leads of Judas Priest, and all of the other trappings that come with a rock solid, guitar oriented power metal band. It’s a bit more aggressive than the standard Helloween follower in the European scene, but ultimately it’s a bit more in the Euro vain than that of USPM, but it can appeal to those on either side of the Atlantic. But no matter what flag you’re flying, this is a group of Aussies that definitely need more attention, and this album would be a good place to start.

Black Majesty is one of the better power metal bands to pop up in the last few years. Since their debut grew on me, I've grown to appreciate this band quite a lot, and I'm proud to say that this album is better than the last one, by a very slight margin. Everything is improved here, the production, Cavaliere's impressive vocals, the guitars, everything. This is how a sophomore effort should be; an improvement, and Black Majesty have safely delivered another solid dose of crunchy, innovative power metal goodness.

Gio Cavaliere's vocals have not lost an ounce of their operatic, emotive power from the debut, and here he sounds just as good, if not better, with an even more powerful punch thanks to the production and the heavier, more prominent guitars here. While the first album was heavy, the guitars here sound even better, with fat riffs and big, juicy solos, more prominent than on the debut. This band also has no keyboardist, that I am aware of, so the guitars are given full respect and freedom to twist, dive, and captivate the listener in ways that other power metal bands cannot. That's how metal was supposed to sound. There's no keyboard wankery here, just powerful guitar attacks, and I love it.

The songs here are still complex and more in-depth than the Gamma Rays and Hammerfalls of the world, yet somehow Black Majesty has upped the catchiness here, as several of these choruses stick in my head after one or two listens. The first four tracks are especially stunning power metal anthems, and any fan of the genre will eat this up like a homeless man would go for a scrap of food on any day of the week (and twice on Sundays). Witness the jaw-dropping guitar attack of the powerful opener "Dragon Reborn", and the catchy, vocal-oriented title track with it's Iron Maiden-esque guitar runs. "Six Ribbons" is apparently some sort of adaption from a traditional tune, and they do it well. The female vocals at the end are a nice touch, giving the song a slight oriental feel. It's nowhere near the level of "Lady of the Lake" from the debut, though. And, opening with the sound of explosions is the careening, majestic "Firestorm", another album highlight with some great lead guitarwork. Fucking great.

The other songs here aren't quite up to par, though, but they are still better then some of the other stuff that power metal bands put out today. Better then, say, Edguy or Helloween fillers. "New Horizons" has uplifting and thought provoking lyrics, apparently about the birth of a child, and "Darkened Room" is a bit similar to Crimson Glory's 80s material, with very haunting vocals courtesy of Cavaliere. "Visionary" is not that memorable, but it's a standard Black Majesty song and an acceptable listen, with lyrics about some sort of 'visionary' that wants to become a powerful dictator. And "Never Surrender" is another very positive sounding song with the catchiest chorus on the disc, very good stuff. The closer "A Better Way to Die" is bar none the best song Black Majesty have ever done in their fairly short career, with the best lead guitar runs I've heard from them, plus an absolutely stunning vocal preformance by Cavaliere at the end of the song. It seems to be a staple for their songs, to have a really high pitched, melodic scream at the end of their songs. If it didn't sound so damn good then I'd call it a detractor.

So, this is another great album from these Australians, and we can only hope that they'll continue the trend of quality in their third album, whenever that will be coming upon us. This band is just as good as the leaders of the genre; just as good as Gamma Ray, Edguy, Helloween, Sonata Arctica, Iron Savior, et cetera, if not slightly better, and I'm sure this won't be the last we see of them. It's a shame that they're so unknown, and I hope they gain more recognition someday. I was introduced to them by the folks at MetalCrypt, and I'm passing this on to the readers of Metal Archives. Hopefully, if someone out there likes this band a lot, then they'll keep recommending them to other power metal fans, until Black Majesty gets the recognition they deserve. Highly recommended.

Well I must say this is a pretty impressive album. If you're used to high pitched vocals, like in most power metal bands, you might be a bit confused at first. I'm not going to make a track by track review. This is a fantastic second album. I haven't heard the first one so I can't compare. First thing that hit me: The snare drum. Well yeah, it just sounds really cool. Their drummer is fantastic, does a great job throughout the whole album. He is very good, probably has a nice drumset too, heh :). Second thing: Singer's voice. Again, nice, but as I said, it's hard to get used to it if you usually listen to the high pitched-vocals of power metal. He has a nice voice range, which is demonstrated in the first track, Dragon Reborn, at the end where he screams "Dragon reboooorn!" (Very epic). The only thing that's rather annoying about vocals though is that sometimes they abuse of back vocals and it sends a chill down your spine. The guitar brings a nice and powerful sound in just about every intro, and keeps doing a great job throughout the whole songs. The solos kick ass.

Sometimes, I'm wondering if they should use a keyboard player. New Horizons has this majestic backing violon in the intro which brings a nice touch to the music. They also use random sounds in their songs which are really cheesy, such as an explosion sound at the beginning of Firestorm. It dosen't make the song bad, but it's weird.

Dragon Reborn in a nice intro for the album, followed by the best and most powerful song: Silent Company, in which the chorus vaguely remind me of an Iron Maiden song (I wonder which one.. heh). After that, you get the ballad that every metal album needs. Six Ribbons is ok, but a bit repetitive. Firestorm (with the cheesy explosions sounds) brings a nice touch to the album, along with New Horizons. Darkened Room is my least favorite. The album ends nicely with A better Way to Die which takes a while to get used to, longer than any of the songs.

Overall this album is very good, and I recommand it to any power/heavy metal fan :)