Majesty
Keep It True

"Keep it true", keep it true, preserve it. But what? Our beloved heavy metal. Many bands in the field in the nineties failed this goal, producing albums deemed by many as poor (Iron Maiden) or too different from what the typical fan expected (Judas Priest). They were no longer "true" in the eyes and ears of metalheads, neither was "Jugulator", and upon hearing "The Angel and the Gambler" by Maiden, I believe many -myself included- had a shock followed by a metaphorical tear of disappointment... No worries, if you delve into the undergrowth, there are plenty of worthwhile bands. Little-known groups that are not asked to invent anything but to "keep it true", to keep alive that flame that no longer seemed to burn for many.

And Majesty, a German band that came out in 2000 with this "Keep it true", do it well.

Incredibly flashy cover, equally flashy lyrics, self-celebratory and Manowar-esque, even if the levels of De Maio's group are unreachable. The songs are mainly based on mid-paced and uncomplicated drum tempos, the guitars grind out epic riffs that perhaps tend to repeat a bit, Manowar once again emerge in the spoken intros, melodic interludes, and keyboard segments and in the epic ballad "We Will Ride".

I dedicate this album to Manowar fans, those who, like me, are fed up with that brick of "Gods of War" and its interludes. Here there is plenty of substance, a breath of fresh air for the aforementioned fans, although they might not be fond of the voice. Indeed, there is only one Eric Adams and the singer of Majesty doesn't resemble him at all; he doesn't have a vocal range typical of heavy metal singers, his voice is slightly hoarse, human, overall pleasing, with echoes of Virgin Steele in the choruses.

Perhaps there might be better out there, they don't really say anything a defender doesn't already know, surely other bands have better interpreted classic metal in the 2000s, but we need to acknowledge that these guys know what they're doing.

Considering these eight tracks constitute the band's self-produced debut, I can only proudly shout -like one of their songs-: HAIL MAJESTY!