BLACK MAJESTY — Children of the Abyss (review)

BLACK MAJESTY — Children of the Abyss album cover Album · 2018 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Kev Rowland
I must say that the album cover looks better the smaller it is, as when it is a reasonable size it looks like a very poor cut and paste affair – just as well that the music more than makes up for it. Black Majesty have long been seen as one of Australia’s top power metal bands, and here on their seventh studio album they show exactly why they are regarded in that fashion. They have obviously been heavily influenced by the likes of Angra and Helloween, never a bad thing in my book, and musically the guys are hitting it out of the park. The rhythm section powers it along, which allows the twin guitarists to duet, solo or crunch as the need arises. Where it suffers for me is with the vocals. John "Gio" Cavaliere has been there since the very beginning, and has quite some reputation, but there is the impression that he is struggling here. There are times when he seems to be somewhat out of sync with the rest of the guys, and this isn’t helped by a production that has kept him towards the rear of the sound, which I don’t understand at all. That he can still hit the notes is never in doubt, it’s just that at times the band just doesn’t sound like a complete unit.

That isn’t always the case however, and songs such as “Hideaway” shows a band that is firing on all cylinders (although the vocals are still too low in the mix). All in all, this is a real hit and miss album, which isn’t what one would expect from a band that have been strutting their stuff on the world stage for as long as they have. This just isn’t consistent enough for me, although pure power metal fans may well disagree.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Antibeauty Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mana Earth Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Intimate Isolation Hardcore Punk
GOOD FALL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Dark Future Sludge Metal
PAIN CHEMISTRY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Violent Delights Hardcore Punk
GALLEONS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Galleons - Electric Emotions
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us