MAJESTY – THUNDER RIDER

• 25 Jan 2013
• by: Orsaeth
• no comments
• Featured Music : Music : Recent : Reviews

[4th January 4th 2013]
[Nuclear Blast]

01. Thunder Rider
02. Warlords Of The Sea
03. Anthem Of Glory
04. Make Some Noise
05. Metalliator
06. Raise The Beast
07. New Era
08. Asteria
09. Young And Free (Bonus Track)
10. Rebellion Of Steel
11. Metal Union

 
Majesty are a power/speed metal band from Lauda, Germany (careful not to confuse them with the band Majesty from Berlin). They have existed since the early 2000s, consistently putting out solid albums of German-styled metal, and their newest offering Thunder Rider is their sixth album, and their fifth under the name Majesty (they changed their name to Metalforce briefly from 2008 to 2011). It is also their first album since they changed their name back to Majesty and their first with new bassist Alex Palma.

Thunder Rider is a solid piece of German power metal, meaning it tends more towards faster riffs and gruffer vocals than the usual power metal stereotype of soaring and cheesy melodies and feminine-sounding vocalists. That isn’t to say it’s not cheesy, but it is the good kind of cheese, and there are definitely some grand soaring melodies here too. The guitar work is very good, and the tone is not over-compressed as some bands tend to do. A couple songs, “Make Some Noise” “Rebellion of Steel” and “Young and Free” have some excellent meaty riffs. Vocalist Tarek “Metal Son” Maghary has a good set of lungs on him; not too high and not too gruff for the sound Majesty has. He is at his best in the song “Asteria”, which is the token power ballad on the album. However, it is a fantastically catchy song with an emotive chorus, and an absolutely gorgeous guitar solo.

The sound on the album is good, portraying a glorious and “true power metal” feel without going over the top cheesy. The instruments blend together well, though the overall mix is a little flat, except in a few places where vocal lines are layered on top of each other. On the other hand, the lead guitar tone is pure magic, singing like a minstrel on the first morning after a night where many mighty and heroic deeds have been performed. The previously mentioned solo on the song “Asteria” is a prime example, crying out in joy for the mighty goddess of stars whom the song seems to be about.

Majesty are a solid German power metal band, with a few redeeming songs, though overall nothing to elevate them above their many peers. They are still young, however, and clearly have potential so there is still hope for them. Thunder Riders shows glimmers of that potential without fully acting on it and certainly does improve on previous efforts. There are some good catchy power metal choruses, but they are hindered by a dry mix in most places. The real standout tracks are the title track, “Make Some Noise”, “Asteria”, and “Rebellion of Steel”, but the listener will find themselves humming most of the other songs on this album long afterwards. A decent album, worthy of a few listens, with a few standouts.

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