My first exposure to Australian ability metallers Black Majesty came when I snagged their Sands of Fourth dimension debut on a whim while visiting the immortal and greatly missed  Slipped Disc Records in Valley Stream, New York. As impulse buys go, it was a big win and fast became one of my favorite ability metal albums, and it however gets steady spins 15 years later. Despite such auspicious beginnings, Black Majesty has struggled over the years to equal their debut's magic. Some albums similar Silent Company come close, only the Angry Metal Guy's Police of Diminishing Recordings ™ hit these guys particularly difficult. That brings us to their seventh album, Children of the Abyss, and I'm sad to say, the ravages of the dreaded police force still besets these unfortunate blokes. I've spun this thing on cross-country planes, commuter trains, in cars and at confined and it merely doesn't resonate with me or grab my attending, despite the band's obvious technical proficiency and talent. Catchy songs are the coin of the power metallic realm, and it seems the band has barely a farthing to their proper name these days.

That'south not to say the anthology is utterly without merit. Somewhat rousing opener "Dragons Unite" is a decently energetic textbook example of Euro-ability benefiting from the atypical vocals of John Cavaliere. While many ability metallic singers exist in a perpetual upper-register wail, Mr. Cavaliere spends most of the album in a restrained mid-range which adds some gravitas to the tales of dragons, pirates and lion men. "Hideaway" is the standout cut, coming closer to the debut'southward audio, adopting a more muscular riffing manner akin to Iced Earth without entirely forsaking the Euro-power pomp. The chorus works and even sticks. "War's Greed" and afterwards cut "Sanctified" also hit that successful sweet spot the band one time owned, with a respectable marriage of classic and power metal. Neither are essential listening, simply they work and accept some staying power.

Unfortunately, the meliorate stuff here is solid at all-time, and the remainder is pretty close to filler and devoid of attention grabbing moments. More than whatever contempo album, I found my attention wandering every fourth dimension I tried to heed to this thing. I would try to exist attentive, then realize 3 songs went by without my noticing. The songs just practise non click in my head or keep me engaged. At just under 47 minutes, Children isn't even a particularly long platter, just one that drifts by like groundwork racket.

What's frustrating about this is how talented the band is. Everyone has chops, from Cavaliere to guitarists Hanny Mohammed and Steve Janevski. These guys can shred and do and then lustily, but always proceed things majestic and classy. Their solos are quite impressive, but too often they're found in songs that themselves aren't very compelling. I've been a fan of Cavaliere's vocals since I first heard the band, and he sounds fine here as always, but once more, it feels like his ability gets wasted on besides much sub par cloth.

Children of the Completeness shows once more that all the talent in the world is useless without consistent song writing. Black Majesty once had that crucial gift, simply seven albums in it seems their muse is on life support and the long-term prognosis isn't good. This isn't bad, but it certainly isn't required listening. Bank check out their debut instead and come across what the ring is (was) capable of.

Rating: ii.5/v.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pride & Joy Music
Websites: blackmajesty.com | blackmajesty.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/BlackMajestyOfficial
Releases Worldwide: September 21st, 208