Released By: Scarlet Records
Release Date: June 20th, 2025
Genre: Power Metal
Links: https://www.facebook.com/BlackMajestyOfficial
Line Up:
John Cavaliere – Vocals
Hanny Mohamed – Guitar, Keyboards
Clinton James Bidie – Guitar
Evan Harris – Bass
Zain Kimmie – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Dragon Lord
2. Set Stone on Fire
3. Hold On
4. Raven
5. Lucifer
6. Oceans of Black
7. Only the Devil
8. Hell Racer
9. Got A Hold on You
10. Here We Go
11. Astral Voyager (Bonus Track)
12. Ghost in the Darkness (Bonus Track)
Australian power metal band Black Majesty are one of those bands who never do anything really surprising or different with any of their albums, but they’re consistently entertaining. I was first introduced to the band with their fifth album, Stargazer, and instantly became a fan of their brand of melodic, classic style power metal, with a slight edge. They’ve released seven albums to date, with my personal favorites being In Your Honour and Cross of Thorns, though everything they’ve released so far has been great, if not particularly shocking. The trend continues with their upcoming eighth full length release, Oceans of Black, which once again doesn’t do anything unexpected, but it’s one of the band’s more inspired releases, and one that’s sure to please longtime fans.
Longtime fans of Black Majesty aren’t in for any surprises with Oceans of Black, as it continues with the same brand of high energy, up-tempo melodic power metal the band has always been known for, though I will say it might be one of their more varied albums, with a couple more moderately paced tracks, as well as a couple that alternate nicely between speedy parts and slower parts, as well as a ballad. As usual, this is a guitar driven album, with longtime guitarist Hanny Mohamed leading the way, along with newcomer Clinton James Bidie, who instantly fits in well with the band. The guitar work is often very light and melodic, with a classic Maiden feel to it, as well as some Helloween influence, especially on some of the guitar solos and extended instrumental sections. There are some heavier sections as well, especially on the more frantic tracks, but overall it’s a very melodic, high energy album, as usual. Keyboards are used sparingly, for extra flavor, which is something the band has always done, though they very much play a secondary role to the guitars. Drums are excellent, with new drummer Zain Kimmie alternating nicely between points where he plays at a more relaxed pace, as well as times where he goes into rapid fire mode, and he does an excellent job throughout the album. Vocalist John Cavaliere is in top form, with one of his best vocal performances yet. He has a deep, light and smooth voice, which especially shines on choruses, and while he’s generally at his best when he stays more relaxed, he does throw in some pretty epic falsetto vocals at times, and those sound more fiery and intense than ever on a couple tracks. Production is strong across the board, with everything sounding crisp and clear, and it strikes a nice balance between sounding polished, while also having a classic heavy metal feel.
Songwriting is solid across the board, with a few particular standouts, while everything else is highly enjoyable, if a tad predictable. There aren’t any real surprises here, but the band does a nice job of changing things up from time to time, and the album flows nicely from track to track. Kicking things off is lead single “Dragonlord”, which enters in at a marching pace, moving steadily, without speeding up much through most of its duration. Cavaliere stays relatively relaxed during the opening verse, and then delivers strongly on a catchy, very melodic chorus, which stands as one of the better ones on the album. On the second verse, he starts going all out with some rather epic falsetto vocals, to add an extra dose of intensity to the track. The solo section has a very classic feel to it, and is excellent. Overall, it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album. Next is the second single, “Set Stone on Fire”, a speedier track, which never lets up for a second. It has a rather atmospheric, keyboard driven intro, but once it gets going the drums go into full rapid fire mode, while the guitar work is heavy and intense throughout. The verses are fun and energetic, while the chorus is more melodic and vocal driven, but still intense and heavy.
The first change of pace comes with the opening verse of “Hold On”, which is slow-paced and more atmospheric, with very light, atmospheric guitar work. It slowly builds up momentum, leading into a frantic, full throttle chorus, where the melodic guitar work fully kicks in and the drums go all out, while Cavaliere delivers some powerful vocals. The second verse is as slow as the first, but after that, the track stays speedy for the remainder of its duration, with the solo section having a strong classic Helloween/Gamma Ray influence. Next is “Raven”, which offers a brief tease at its speedy chorus with a nice instrumental rendition early on, before settling into more of a mid-paced groove during its opening verse. It’s slightly heavier and more driven than the previous track during its verses, but still calm and atmospheric, before the chorus goes all out. It’s a more melodic chorus than the previous track, with stronger vocal melodies, but it still goes all out with its tempo. The solo section is once again very fast-paced, and once again has a strong classic power metal feel.
The high energy continues with “Lucifer”, which has a lot of Maiden influence early on with the guitar work. It starts off rather fast, and the verses move at a driven tempo, without going all out, while the chorus is a bit heavier and more intense, moving at more of a galloping pace. On the whole, the track isn’t as intense as some of the others, but it’s still up-tempo, and energetic, with another fantastic solo section. While there aren’t any real surprises on the album, the title track is a slight change of pace, as it stays at a moderate tempo the whole way through, never picking up the pace or getting particularly heavy. It’s a more epic, atmospheric track, with a classic heavy metal feel to it. The verses are slightly heavier than the chorus, which is more melodic and a bit dialed back, compared to most other tracks on the album. As usual, the solo section is one of the highlights of the track, though it maintains a heavy metal feel throughout.
Next is a pair of speedy, high energy tracks in “Only the Devil” and “Hell Racer”. They’re two of my favorite tracks on the album, both moving at a rapid pace throughout. The former has a very classic power metal feel, with some excellent, melodic guitar work and some fantastic vocal melodies in the chorus, which is one of my favorites on the album. The latter is a bit heavier, and has some of the best drumming on the album, as the pace is absolutely relentless from start to finish, and the band goes all out the whole way through, with even the chorus being heavy and frantic. Unsurprisingly, the band decides to slow things down after that pair, with the ballad “Got a Hold On You” coming next. It’s a very light, guitar driven ballad, with more of a focus on atmosphere and mood over anything flashy. The verses are dialed back, while the chorus has some strong vocal melodies, but it never gets overly intense or powerful, and the vocals are solid, but restrained. The guitar solo is excellent, very emotional and easily the highlight of the track.
Closing out the main portion of the album is “Here We Go”, another track with strong Maiden influence in the guitar work, especially early on. It starts off with a soft and slow instrumental section, before speeding up for a bit, and then the opening verse is a bit more relaxed and atmospheric, slowly building up to one of the most energetic choruses on the album, as well as easily the catchiest and most epic, with some of the best vocals on the entire album. It has a very triumphant feel, especially the chorus, and obviously the solo section is also fantastic, as always. Overall, it ends the album on a very positive note. There are two bonus tracks, both of which are solid. First is “Astral Voyager”, which stays calm during the verses, while the chorus does a nice job of alternating between slow, atmospheric passages and more intense passages. The solo section is lengthy, and epic. Lastly, we have “Ghost in the Darkness”, which is fast-paced, and has another excellent chorus and solo section. It doesn’t do anything to stand out, but it has more of that classic heavy metal infused guitar work, and it’s another very fun track.
Overall, Oceans of Black is exactly what fans of Black Majesty would expect. It has a slightly darker tone than most of their other albums, but it’s still as melodic and high energy as ever, with the same brand of melodic power metal the band has always been known for. Vocalist John Cavaliere is in top form, and the guitar work is also excellent, as always. Songwriting is straightforward, mostly fast-paced, with a couple of slower tracks mixed in, and while there’s nothing overly surprising, it’s all very well done. At this point, I always know exactly what to expect from the band, and they deliver every time, with this album being no exception.
Ratings: 8/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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