(Power Metal) [CD] Black Majesty - Cross of Thorns - 2015, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

There have been a number of truly stalwart power metal acts that date back to the turn of the millennium, but if both consistency of quality and of sound are measured together, few compare to the long running Australian power house that is Black Majesty. Their military-like adherence to the traditions set forth during said time period could be likened to the unchanging sound of acts such as Axel Rudi Pell in their gallant refusal to bend with the times or chase after fleeting trends, especially during the style's mixed foray into AOR territory in the mid 2000s, all but to the point if leaving them open to accusations of simply putting out the same album five times. Truth be told, apart from a slightly larger and stronger production quality coming into the picture when Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween) took over the production reigns on 2010's In Your Honor, they haven't really changed much at all, and the entry of their sixth opus Cross Of Thorns continues the sonic tradition, though the passing of their longtime album cover artist Dirk Illing has brought in the talents of Argentinian self-taught artist Valgorth, who has stayed faithful to the band's imagery and symbolism while providing a fresh, wintry gloss of his own into the mix.

Expectations are met consistently from start to finish as the musical underpinnings that have always defined Black Majesty's dense, atmospheric and somber atmosphere are in full swing. The adherence to the mid 80s to early 90s Iron Maiden mode of melody and formulaic chord progressions find themselves splashing over a generally cruising and fast rhythmic feel that leans towards Helloween, but also with a fair bit of older power metal trappings more readily attributed to early Queensryche and Fates Warning. The guitar work is generally heart felt and with an air of humility compared to more shred happy acts like Gamma Ray and Labyrinth, but in terms of general feel there are elements where both of said bands can be heard, particularly the slightly progressive semi-balladry of "Crossroads" and "Make Believe" where the band makes use of acoustic guitars and heavy keyboard overlays to achieve an archaic sense of heaviness and lightness, almost like a post-1990s reinterpretation of Queensryche's "The Lady Wore Black" or a less fancy answer to some of the lighter material on Labyrinth's Return To Heaven Denied.

Naturally this wouldn't be a true power metal album in the early 2000s mold without plenty of speed and glorious chorus sections, and apart from the aforementioned semi-ballads, this album has it almost in excess. The opening number "Phoenix" is among the more straightforward speeders that this band has ever put out, opting for a standard verse/chorus format with an emphasis on a driving feel and the crooning brilliance of Gio Cavaliere's vocals, which are reminiscent of a slightly deeper and denser rendition of Ray Adler's early 90s work with Fates Warning. "Anneliese" and "One Life" present somewhat longer and more involved versions of the same general concept, featuring a few more twists and turns before hitting that sweet spot that most call a chorus, and chock full of memorable melodic moments to boot. "Vlad The Impaler" dials back the speed factor slightly but ratchets up the heaviness, throws in a background growling voice during the chorus, and lays the keyboards on a bit thicker than anything in this band's past in a manner almost reminiscent of Dream Theater. But the true outright climax points of this album are the speeding frenzies of "Misery" and "Escape" where they land in overt speed metal territory that's closer to Helloween or even Paragon at their fastest, the latter song even landing on a happy sounding chorus heavily reminiscent of the former band.

Though on the whole this is a slightly cut below In Your Honor, it's yet another moment of sheer brilliance from a band that doesn't know the meaning of the words "inferior release". Even though they ended up opting to cover a song on here that's been done to death by every power metal band from Primal Fear to Sonata Arctica ("Out In The Fields"), they somehow manage to come out with a unique take on said song where Gio ends up sharing vocal duties and the band piles on the atmosphere while still keeping the same driving feel of Gary Moore's original version. That's pretty much how this entire album can be characterized, a largely conservative rendition of a sound that has been around for a while yet managing to keep it extremely interesting through a combination of spectacular performance and excellent songwriting. It's another essential album from a band that ought to be required listening for power metal fans of any stripe. Six albums and 14 years later, this old king of the metal jungle still dons his crown in splendor, through the fire of gazing stars to the fury of a grand blizzard before the moon's pale gaze.

Review written by hells_unicorn for www.metal-archives.com

Links:
http://www.blackmajesty.com/
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Black_Majesty/919