Band's List Melodic Heavy Black Majesty Silent Company

Black Majesty is not really a new-comer in the power/speed metal world. It comes straight from the land of kangaroos, Australia. The 4 guys from Melbourne are evoluting, as I said, in a style near from the one that Wizard does, a bit more melodic, though. The new album, 'Silent Company', is a cd which impressed me, not really on the level of the interpretation, but on the level of the compositions, epic and solemn! The album, though being homogeneous, isn't so stationnary and show us well a pleasant diversity, which is really a good point. Many bands, which evolute on the same scene, are failing at this level. The general atmosphere of this album is dark, though a certain light is appearing sometimes, especially thanks to the bright soli. No mistake can be found. All the musicians are really talented, especially Pavel Konvalinka, the czech drummer who clearly plays in a energic and quick way. John Cavaliere, the singer, has a wonderful voice, sensual, but on the medium notes ; in the highest register, he sometimes tends to "mew".
The 9 titles never go down under 4 minutes, except "Six Ribbons", a semi-acoustic ballade, which, though its 3'22, arrives to transport us, thanks to the presence of a feminine voice, delicate and bewitching. The other songs are longer, more epic ("Dragon Reborn", "New Horizons", "A Better Way To Die"), quicker ("Silent Company", "Firestorm", "Visionary", "Never Surrender"), with some neo-classic guitar parts à la Yngwie Malmsteen ("Darkened Room").
'Silent Company' is a fabulous and atmospheric album, relaxing. Those who like Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius and Angra, should listen to this talented band. My second favorite of the summer with Wizard's 'Magic Circle'.