Black Majesty
Encyclopedia
Black Majesty is a power metal
band from Melbourne
, Australia
. The band was formed in 2001 by ex-members of prominent bands on the Australian metal scene and after the release of a three track sampler album they were signed to a 5-album contract with German
-based label LMP Records
. The group are currently four albums into the deal, releasing their latest studio album titled In Your Honour in 2010.
in 2001 under the name Kymera. Guitarist Steve Janevski was drawn from Cyclone Tracy, a long-running heavy rock/hair metal outfit. Bass
player Cory Betts was a member of Pegazus
, a Melbourne power metal band that had toured Europe
in 1998, although he did not join that band until early 1999. Kymera's other guitarist Hanny Mohammed had recorded an album with a band called Catwitch who had been featured on a television documentary. With ex-Kryptor and Leprocide drummer Pavel Konvalinka and singer John Cavaliere the band was complete. The band hit the local Melbourne scene with a few live shows, then dropped the Kymera moniker due to a US band sharing the same name. After a flirtation with the name Arkaya, the band began recording material but Betts then left and the group renamed itself Black Majesty.
album was recorded in 2002 and prefaced by a three-track promo disc that won them a 5-album contract with German label LMP
. The album's sound was a mixture of progressive metal
and power metal drawing influence from Queensryche
and Jag Panzer
. Reviews of the album were extremely positive, and in several online polls it won "Album of the Year" honors. Bass tracks were recorded by both Betts and Evan Harris, and Cavaliere duetted with Silvio Massaro from Vanishing Point
and cousin Danny Cecati from Eyefear on two tracks. Joe Fata replaced Betts in the interim but left before the album was released in 2003 and since then Black Majesty has not had a permanent bass player, instead looking towards local bass players to fill duties. During this time period guitarist Hanny Mohammed played bass at infrequent live shows with fellow Australian power metal band Pegazus
, although by the end of 2002 Mohammed fully focused on his work in Black Majesty.
Bassists Mark Kelson
of Melbourne doom band The Eternal and Harris have featured as touring members, Harris contributing to the band's next release also, 2005's Silent Company. The album's sound slightly changed from Sands of Time, the band dropping their small progressive touches and going for a more straightforward melodic sound. For the recording of "Silent Company" Konvalinka recorded his drum tracks in Germany with Piet Sielck
of Iron Savior
whilst the remainder of the band recorded their tracks at Palm Studios in Melbourne with producer Endel Rivers. The album's release was preceded by a short tour of Europe
, where the band gained exposure to their primary market by playing solo shows and gaining spots on festivals featuring bands such as HammerFall
and Edguy
. On the band's return to Australia they launched the album with additional solo dates before touring with British band Dragonforce
and American
metal group Nevermore
. The band then began writing songs for their next album while sporadically performing live shows, focusing on the writing and recording of their third studio effort.
Black Majesty's third album Tomorrowland was released on 1 June 2007. The album was launched by another European tour which featured slots at festivals such as Masters of Rock
, Benatska Noc, and Europe's biggest heavy metal festival, Wacken Open Air
, along with a few solo club dates. Bass duties were filled by Richard Filak. Upon Black Majesty's return to Australia, they launched Tomorrowland with various shows around Melbourne. In the following months Black Majesty continued to display their prominince on the Australian Power Metal scene playing solo shows along with supporting Helloween
in February. They recently supported Saxon
on their April tour of Australia.
Black Majesty started work on its fourth album in February 2009 for Limb Music Products. Roland Grapow
will mix the album. The group supported former Iron Maiden
singer Paul Dianno on two of his Australian shows on 30 May at the Hifi Bar & Ballroom in Melbourne, and on 6 June at the Manning Bar in Sydney. Black Majesty will play a one off concert in Jakarta, Indonesia as part of the Jak Sound, Jakarta Sound & Music Expo on the 6th of February 2010. Black Majesty released their follow-up album "In Your Honour" in 2010. The release was promoted with several shows around Australia as well as a headlining slot at Indonesia's Bla Bla Bla Festival. The band recently announced a European tour to support the album's release.
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The band was formed in 2001 by ex-members of prominent bands on the Australian metal scene and after the release of a three track sampler album they were signed to a 5-album contract with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-based label LMP Records
Limb Music
Limb Music is an independent record label based in Hamburg, Germany.-Artists:*Abraxas*Adagio*Archetype*Black Majesty*Burningblack*Burning Point*Casus Belli*Chinchilla*Code of Perfection*Concerto Moon*Cryonic Temple*Domain*Double Dealer*Dungeon...
. The group are currently four albums into the deal, releasing their latest studio album titled In Your Honour in 2010.
Early:Kymera
The band formed in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 2001 under the name Kymera. Guitarist Steve Janevski was drawn from Cyclone Tracy, a long-running heavy rock/hair metal outfit. Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player Cory Betts was a member of Pegazus
Pegazus
-External links:**...
, a Melbourne power metal band that had toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1998, although he did not join that band until early 1999. Kymera's other guitarist Hanny Mohammed had recorded an album with a band called Catwitch who had been featured on a television documentary. With ex-Kryptor and Leprocide drummer Pavel Konvalinka and singer John Cavaliere the band was complete. The band hit the local Melbourne scene with a few live shows, then dropped the Kymera moniker due to a US band sharing the same name. After a flirtation with the name Arkaya, the band began recording material but Betts then left and the group renamed itself Black Majesty.
Black Majesty
The Sands of TimeSands of Time (Black Majesty album)
Sands of Time is the debut album by the Australian power metal band Black Majesty.-Track listing:All songs written by Black Majesty, except 1, 3 and 9, written by Black Majesty & Cory Betts.# "Fall of the Reich" − 5:16# "Legacy" − 4:16...
album was recorded in 2002 and prefaced by a three-track promo disc that won them a 5-album contract with German label LMP
Limb Music
Limb Music is an independent record label based in Hamburg, Germany.-Artists:*Abraxas*Adagio*Archetype*Black Majesty*Burningblack*Burning Point*Casus Belli*Chinchilla*Code of Perfection*Concerto Moon*Cryonic Temple*Domain*Double Dealer*Dungeon...
. The album's sound was a mixture of progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
and power metal drawing influence from Queensryche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
and Jag Panzer
Jag Panzer
Jag Panzer were an American power metal band from Colorado Springs, Colorado.-Biography:Jag Panzer came together in late 1981, being inspired by the onslaught of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
. Reviews of the album were extremely positive, and in several online polls it won "Album of the Year" honors. Bass tracks were recorded by both Betts and Evan Harris, and Cavaliere duetted with Silvio Massaro from Vanishing Point
Vanishing Point (band)
Vanishing Point are an Australian power/progressive metal band from Melbourne. The band incorporates symphonic elements into their sound through a prominent keyboard role in their music...
and cousin Danny Cecati from Eyefear on two tracks. Joe Fata replaced Betts in the interim but left before the album was released in 2003 and since then Black Majesty has not had a permanent bass player, instead looking towards local bass players to fill duties. During this time period guitarist Hanny Mohammed played bass at infrequent live shows with fellow Australian power metal band Pegazus
Pegazus
-External links:**...
, although by the end of 2002 Mohammed fully focused on his work in Black Majesty.
Bassists Mark Kelson
Mark Kelson
Mark Kelson is a Melbourne born musician, best known for his work as a member of The Eternal and Cryptal Darkness .-Career:...
of Melbourne doom band The Eternal and Harris have featured as touring members, Harris contributing to the band's next release also, 2005's Silent Company. The album's sound slightly changed from Sands of Time, the band dropping their small progressive touches and going for a more straightforward melodic sound. For the recording of "Silent Company" Konvalinka recorded his drum tracks in Germany with Piet Sielck
Piet Sielck
Piet Sielck is a power metal guitarist and vocalist. He is member of the power/speed metal bands Iron Savior and Savage Circus, as well as owner of the studio Powerhouse in Hamburg.-Early years:...
of Iron Savior
Iron Savior
Iron Savior is a German power metal band that formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1996. Following a period of several years working behind the scenes in music production, multi-instrumentalist and producer/engineer Piet Sielck joined with former Helloween bandmate Kai Hansen and then-drummer for Blind...
whilst the remainder of the band recorded their tracks at Palm Studios in Melbourne with producer Endel Rivers. The album's release was preceded by a short tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where the band gained exposure to their primary market by playing solo shows and gaining spots on festivals featuring bands such as HammerFall
HammerFall
HammerFall is a power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.- Early days :...
and Edguy
Edguy
-Demos, AFM years :Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Siedschlag, their math teacher at the time. In 1994, the band released two demos, Evil Minded and Children of...
. On the band's return to Australia they launched the album with additional solo dates before touring with British band Dragonforce
DragonForce
DragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
metal group Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
. The band then began writing songs for their next album while sporadically performing live shows, focusing on the writing and recording of their third studio effort.
Masters of Rock
Masters of Rock is a series of compilation albums issued by EMI Records in Europe. Each volume is by a different artist. Albums in the series include:*Masters of Rock , a compilation album of early Pink Floyd music; volume 1 of the series...
, Benatska Noc, and Europe's biggest heavy metal festival, Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
, along with a few solo club dates. Bass duties were filled by Richard Filak. Upon Black Majesty's return to Australia, they launched Tomorrowland with various shows around Melbourne. In the following months Black Majesty continued to display their prominince on the Australian Power Metal scene playing solo shows along with supporting Helloween
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
in February. They recently supported Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
on their April tour of Australia.
Black Majesty started work on its fourth album in February 2009 for Limb Music Products. Roland Grapow
Roland Grapow
Roland Grapow, born 30 August 1959 in Hamburg, Germany is a professional guitarist and music producer. Roland is best known for his time in the power metal band Helloween, who he played with for 12 years after replacing founding member Kai Hansen...
will mix the album. The group supported former Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
singer Paul Dianno on two of his Australian shows on 30 May at the Hifi Bar & Ballroom in Melbourne, and on 6 June at the Manning Bar in Sydney. Black Majesty will play a one off concert in Jakarta, Indonesia as part of the Jak Sound, Jakarta Sound & Music Expo on the 6th of February 2010. Black Majesty released their follow-up album "In Your Honour" in 2010. The release was promoted with several shows around Australia as well as a headlining slot at Indonesia's Bla Bla Bla Festival. The band recently announced a European tour to support the album's release.