A huge surprise !
10/17/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When it comes to Italian metal I think I'm becoming more and more touchy. I believe that there are too many bands doing exactly the same thing, all with almost no production worth mentioning and more than medium singers. Of course there are a few bands that stands on top of the rest, namely Rhapsody or Labyrinth. To that short list of truly excellent bands, I now add Thy Majestie. That new album just hit me like a hammer , the progression level between each album is really amazing, this bands seems to make huge progress from one album to the other. I'm not sure they are influenced by Rhapsody but at least they like to write the same kind of music, and they do it with such passion on that album, that I'm sure you're gonna be blown away by the result, just like I've been... The resemblance with Rhapsody actually ends with the style comparison (cause this also is Hollywood Metal), but the structure, the sound and the melodies are very distinct from their fellow Italian counterparts. The album starts with a beautiful intro, with choirs so powerful that they send shivers down my spine each and every time I listen to it. It is then followed by an amazing fast paced song called The King And The Warrior. The choirs are the key to that album, that and the majestically written classical arrangements, halfway between Rhapsody and Blind Guardian. Most of the time choirs are in Latin, they mixes male and female voices depending on moments, and they truly are amongst the the best I've ever heard ! Simply amazing ! The guitar riffs are quite sharp and goes perfectly with the mood of the album, which if you're into Epic metal will undoubtedly take you for quite a ride. The singer has a fairly good voice, he's not always enlightening the overall, though he can reach high notes very beautifully on a couple of songs but he feels kinda "small" compared to the wonderful choirs. But I truly believe that this is mainly due to the mix, there is simply no effects on his voice whatsoever... and that's maybe why he can sound a little confined within the music instead of riding on top of it. The song writing of this album is absolutely brilliant, with amazing breaks and truly smart arrangements. Also lots of small interlude tracks that calm things down between the songs. The keys are used to perfection, to enhance every part of the music (reminding me of Symphony X from time to time). The guitar solos are really nice, always melodically driven. The album finishes on 3 songs, 3 atomic bombs back to back (The Pride Of A Housecarl, Through The Bridge Of Spears & Demons On The Crown) that sound like a huge climax of melody and emotions... with melodies flying all over this symphonic musical atmosphere... and the perfect way to end an album... You won't believe your ears during those last 15 minutes. The last song Demons On The Crown is simply mind-blowing and without any doubt my favorite track on the record.Thy Majestie did for sure deliver a hell of a release here. I believe the production is not yet up to Rhapsody's level (but far better than their previous, no doubts there) and that leaves some margin of progression for this excellent band. The songs on this album are simply beautiful with their majestically orchestrated symphonies and large use of choirs. I truly hope that their use of choirs will become a trademark for them, I simply can't get enough of them ! But or die!"
WOW , These guys are really good!
Mr D. | Cave Creek, Az United States | 12/12/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album contains all the possible nuances of power metal you could want, from from hard driving speed metal to soft melodic interludes. You say you like variety in speed and intensity, it's there. you want the pomp and majesty of bygone eras, you got it. How about those cheesy lyrics about dragons and goblins,sorry you can't have everything.
This is music worthy of comparison to the paragons of the genre-
Rhapsody, Sonata Arctica, Dark Moor and Freedom Call. In addition their music is flavored with several "suites" as they call them, which are symphonic introductions, not to mention the inclusion of Operatic sounding choirs that remind me of Therion or Haggard.In fact I'll bet if Therion would decide to do a power metal project it would sound like this.Maybe this is the start of a new Genre - Symphonic,Orchestal,Operatic,Power Metal. In closing, this is one of four standout albums that I have reviewed this year, and I highly recommend all of them. The others are; Light of Day,Day of Darkness by Green Carnation,In Nomine Nictus by Artrosis,In search for Truth by Evergrey"
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1