Black Majesty
Sands Of Time

On their official website, there's a fantastic blue background filled with swords, lions, and monsters. The cover of their debut album is typically fantasy, so it doesn’t take a genius to understand that Black Majesty plays Power Metal. Oh no… what album did I buy; is it the umpteenth mix of derivatives of Rhapsody?

Indeed, both from the song titles and the rhythms themselves, as well as from their style, it's evident how their power is Fantasy and Epic. What is immediately noticeable is that this is an Australian band, these 'Black Majesty' present their album "Sands Of Time" which, as a debut, is very good, and it does not disappoint, it is actually very similar to the works of Kamelot, which I really enjoy.

It is a pleasant and nice CD, nothing special since the band does not offer anything new, but very nice with fitting and spirited rhythms, certainly better than power metal albums from more famous bands. A clean, clean work that promises well for the future of the band, a power very similar to the German style, and which has been defined as Australia’s answer to bands like QUEENSRYCHE and similar. It's not hyped, it's not a collection of plagiarized snippets, it's an album with ten tracks of pure power metal with double bass and fast melodic solos.
John Cavaliere reveals himself as a great voice worthy of the genre, expressive and warm, which matches well with the typical choruses of the refrains. The melody, a necessary characteristic for the genre, is influenced by various classical types and other metal trends. I indeed appreciate the fact that these "Black Majesty" without fear of "Ruining themselves" have recorded a melodic metal album and do not seek to aim for speed or extremism of solos like bands such as DragonForce, and they do not produce those (now blasphemous) Epic/Hollywood sounds that frankly we are tired of.

They combine power metal in its most intimate nature with simple Heavy Metal and the result is beautiful precisely because it is modest and not too "Beyond" their capabilities. The mandatory listen goes to the track with which the album is introduced, with "Fall Of The Reich", where a drum gallop acts as a backdrop to the distortion of the guitars, in a frenetic rhythm that forms the background to Cavaliere's voice which, supported by choruses, counterpoints, and vocal harmonies, concludes the piece aggressively but moderately with a nice, not too exaggerated, classy high note.
It is followed by "Legacy" also aggressive and the beautiful "Guardian" with Prog incursions, with unmistakable guitar solos and sweet high notes that help to change the basic tempo, alternating moments of poetry and rancor with others of Strength and Power, it also has a nice instrumental piece.

In short, if you are not a fan of the genre, it will be easy for you not to accept them, the same applies if you only accept the names of the most important bands of each genre; nevertheless, if this had been the last album of a long discography, I would have certainly spoken badly of it, but the fact is it is a debut album and the band with this demonstrates they have surprises for the future.

It’s nice to listen to an album a bit anonymous and discover it's more convincing than many other more famous ones.