A new era dawns for Majestica.
After nineteen years under the ReinXeed name and two albums, the band founded by Tommy “ReinXeed” Johansson (guitar/vocals, Golden Resurrection, ex-Sabaton) and now completed by Chris David (bass/vocals, Wizdoom, live for Therion), Joel Kollberg (drums, Veonity) and Petter Hjerpe (guitar, Mad Hatter, Morning Dwell) continues its adventure with Nuclear Blast for the release of Power Train, its third album.
The steam engine kicks off with eponymous composition Power Train, in which Tommy immediately shows off his vocal skills over a catchy rhythm where leads fly freely. The break allows us to catch our breath before the motivating solo and final, then No Pain, No Gain follows with a joyful, heady approach, letting the vocalist spout his lyrics almost without breathing. The instrumental is not to be outdone, providing solid riffs before moving on to the solid heavy roots of Battle Cry, which immediately follows with martial backing vocals to accompany the lively, unifying patterns. The high-pitched vocals are relatively rare, but very well managed, before the groove of Megatrue, a slightly more moderate composition that also knows how to place its moments of intensity like this rather majestic passage where Chris‘ voice adds an airy touch, or the finale managed by Tommy, then the band goes back on the hunt with My Epic Dragon. Although a little clichéd, the track is framed by orchestrations making it truly impressive, allowing the guitars to focus on their piercing harmonics for long passages, then the short Thunder Power offers more ominous tones at a quite respectable pace. The three minutes of riffing are enough to give us a good time, but the sound darkens again when A Story In The Night emerges with its mysterious hues, which eventually adapt to the musicians’ steady pace. The modern touches of Go Higher offer us a brief moment of respite, before the jolting rhythm picks up again and sweeps us along in its whirlwind of motivation, with its unifying choruses. We continue with Victorious, where playful riffs and vocal parts combine perfectly before adopting imposing Symphonic influences before a very calm final, then Alliance Anthem lends a strong hand with its powerful rhythm, joined by interesting vocal diversity and highly motivated guitars to weave the album’s last solos, which closes shortly after the end of the track.
I only discovered Majestica fairly recently, but I can assure you that the band knows its way around Power Metal! Power Train arrives at full speed and establishes itself alongside the other excellent albums in the style, thanks to its talented leader and his comrades, without ever blushing.
90/100
