Customer Reviews

Majestic

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To start my review, I'll state that Gamma Ray is to me the only power metal band having the right to sounding like early Helloween if they want to. Of course we all know why; but if you didn't then I'm telling you that late eighties European power metal mainly was Kai Hansen's brainchild -- as Kai Hansen was in fact the founder of Helloween and still *is* the leader of Gamma Ray (well, you did know 'that', didn't you? :-)). It's all a matter of authorship and authenticity.

So, in spite of still being the same (good old) power metal band; with "Majestic" I think Gamma Ray has outdone themselves. Firstly, its production is sharp as a razor blade. I don't remember Hansen's vocals sounding so amazing previously, nor having a so thick wall of voices on the choirs. Secondly, many songs here sound less "predictable" than before. Several new influences can be noticed. Take for example the dark mood and almost nu-metallish riffing on "Condemned to hell"; or the "Judas-Priest-ish" chorus of "Strange World"; or the pretentious "Blood Religion"; or the Arabic and progressive touches of "Majesty" (Dio or Sabbath or Halford come to mind); or the right-to-the-point opener "My Temple", which spares us this time the usual instrumental intros. Man, every single song on this album is a killer, believe me!

Ok, ok... let's face it, the guys are not braking any ground anymore. Nevertheless, they do know how to write good songs by borrowing from several great sources. And certainly this release is less catchy than previous efforts, but no less good -- I even dare to say that this is their best album so far, how'bout that? :-) At least, in my opinion this is indeed Gamma Ray's "dark ride" -- a very true and powerful one. Ballads are lacking, but this is power metal at its best. You'll still get quite a shot of the genre's best clichés -- including "bombastic" choirs, high-pitched vocals, double-bass drumming, anthem-like melodies and frantic guitar soloing and riffing. But most importantly, you'll also get a very enjoyable and varied set of pieces, authored with pride and good taste.

Finally, I would like to warn power metal detractors (myself included the most of the time) not taking Gamma Ray too seriously -- but rather openly and joyfully. This is a band that is playing this stuff only because they're having a blast, and that's all they want from you: making you to have a power metal blast with their music. They're 100% able to mock at themselves, and it is in this self-awareness and humor sense that Gamma Ray scores high as "thinking-man" metallers -- not brainy or nerdy, but tasty and spontaneous. Remember: even the smartest guys around need having some fun from time to time, and Hansen's army does know how to do it. In few words, this is a power metal attack just for having some good time and therefore should be consumed "as-is". That's why I welcome and thank this music with a big set of five brilliant stars, dedicated to the contemporary living metal icon Kai Hansen is, as well as to his partners in crime. :-)

Not their best, but definitely in the top 5! I've had it for about a week now, and i still like "Heading for Tomorrow","Land of the Free" "Somewhere out in Space" and "Power Plant" Better. But DEFINITELY makes up for the slightly dissappointing "New World Order" The only thing i think is missing from the Songs are the "Trademark" bouncy "Sing-a-long" Chorus'es on most of the Songs. There's a few but not like in the past. As always the Song's are all highlighted with Kai & Henjo's Stellar dual Guitar and of course Dan's Brilliant Double Bass Drum work! Stand-outs include; "Fight","Strange World","Hell is they Home","Blood Religion" and the Epic "Revelation" the Japanese "Bonus Track" is really the only weak Song cause to me it sound too much like a re-work of the Melody of "Solid" from the Last CD So don't go shelling out the extra Cash for the "Japanese Pressing" unless you want every song they have released, cause there is no other "Bonuses" to the packaging different to th Euro, or The American Version.

The German power metal band return with their eleventh album (and I have every single one). Majestic is loaded with all of the high speed guitar runs, machine-gun double kick drums, chugga-chugga riffage, and operatic/melodic vocal tones that you expect from the group.

Thematically, some of the songs are a little darker ("Hell is Thy Home", "Blood Religion" and "Condemned to Hell") than previous efforts, but they still pack a thunderous metal punch. Kai Hansen (ex-Helloween) still manages to capture the power and energy that the group displayed from album one (16 years ago)

For me this is their best album, in metal-rules.com it is ranked in #3 in their "TOP OF 2005" list...., the only song I don't like is Majesty...it seems out of place...breaks the armony of the album.

I have to agree...this album is so amazing. Some new influences and different aproaches can be heard on this album. Judas Priest and Black Sabbath came to my mind when I first listened to it. But without losing their power metal touch...this band can show that metal today is still strong as it was back in the day!

Gammaray has made another great album. Despite of the lack of the "traditional" intro for the first song, most songs have a great intro and go through smart progressions which make this a versatile album. I have to admit that I didn't like a couple of songs in this album, but the rest of the songs are excellent.

Here is my view on the content of this album:

My Temple - Has no intro - but its fast and well written.

Fight - probably the best song of this album - if you didn't like it at first listen to it again. It has very nice riffs and fast drumming. It also carries a great message of hope and motivation. This is pure Gammaray.

Strange World - this song is another one of my favorites, and is very reminiscent of early Helloween due to the various changes and the dual lead guitars parts. The lyrics are very good and change in style throughout the song.

Hell is Thy Home - as someone else mentioned its lyrics are too hellish, but the guitar riffs make up for it.

Blood Religion - Has a great intro and it's written to tell a great story. This song should be included in a Horror Film Compilation Album - along with Sonata Artica's song "Wolf and Raven"!

Condemned to Hell - It has a jazzy intro - which I don't like much. The Chorus is hellishly excellent.

Spiritual Dictator - Another best for this album - similar to Fight, it includes the typical Gammaray arsenal of sound and speed.

Majesty - Also a jazzy intro - but it changes after 30 seconds - However I think Condemned to Hell ended up a little better than this one, particularly because the chorus is slow.

How Long - This is the slow song of this album, so it definitely stands out.

Revelation - Very nice intro and follow up. This song makes it worthwhile to listen to this album all the way to then end. Furthermore, it contains some of the best lyrics of this album.

Overall, if it wasn't for songs #4 and #8, this would be an instant classic. The other 8 songs on this album still merit excellent recommendation to buy, hence the 5 stars.
Please give me some feedback if you disagree with my rating.

This review title is due to the repetition of the word "hell" throughout the record that surpassed their prior albums.
There are 3 songs on this cd that don't enjoy very much: My temple , Blood religion and Majesty (these last 2 are quite tedious). The rest is great. The drumming isn't repetitive here.
Gamma Ray does something that's not so easy:put hard guitars and and melodic metal at the same in the songs time wisely. (So, hell is not their home). Track 6 is an example of it.
Majestic lacked something : ballads , something that the band does perfectly. They used to do 1 per album.
I totally disagree with that person that said that the riffs in this album are boring. The guitar harmonies between Kai Hansen
and Henjo Hichter called my attention, simply outstanding and beautiful, specially on Condemned to hell ( I love this song) and Spiritual Dictator.
How Long ( The beat made me remember no stranger from Somewhere out in Space) and Revelation are excellent and deserve your listen too.
Despite the three bad songs , the others make the balance that is needed for this album being good and not disappointable.
I agree that Majestic doesn't have new features , but maintained what
the fans like. Keep this up , Hansen!

When I listened to this album for the first time, I wasn't really impressed. The only track that kinda stood out was "Fight". However after numerous listens, I can say that the album has grown on me and I find it a very good album. Its not the typical Gamma Ray album as they've tried to add some aggression to the music and Kai doesn't sound very smooth but still a very good record. The only song I don't care for is "Majesty" and the vocal lines are wierd with no melody but however has a nice mid section. My fav tracks are "Fight", "Spiritual Dictator" and "Revelation".

I totally disagree with any review that says this album is no good. Where have you been? I have been a Helloween/Gamma Ray connesouir from day one. I thought Gamma Ray slipped a little in their previous release, No World Order. Rest assured however, they have proven they still do what they do best. Make alot of noise!! I do not wish to spoil it for anyone who is waiting for their copy to arrive, you may think you will be dissapointed, trust me...you will not. This is some of their finest, loudest, fastest, work. Just wait until you hear the first track, you will know exactly what I mean. Enjoy peeps

Considering Gamma Ray fans have been waiting patiently (or impatiently) for new material since 2001's New World Order (sorry, 2003's live album Skeletons in the Closet doesn't count here ~ despite the massive troubles the band encountered during the recording of that album), I was eagerly awaiting this album with the utmost confidence.

Unfortunately, my initial thoughts on Majestic were not positive, but pretty negative. The only two songs that caught my ear on the first play through were "Fight" (which they honestly should have just named the song "Carry On" considering how many times they say "carry on" during the song) and "Condemned to Hell" with its infectious guitar work. At this point I had pretty much had written the album off as an "almost" complete bust.

As presumptuous and hasty as my judgment of this album was, for some reason I came back for another listen, and then another, and another. I began to realize, while not containing as many "stand alone singles" (for lack of a better term) as previous Gamma Ray albums such as 1994's Land of the Free or 2001's No World Order, Majestic's strength lies in its collective presentation. As stated above, if you're looking to pick out a few songs from the track list like I was and call them "great" or "classics", you may find yourself scratching your head. This is the kind of album must be listened in its entirety to really be appreciated.

The other thing fans will immediately notice on Majestic is the increased use of synthesizers, more than ever before. While this statement alone may invoke fear or disgust in some fans who look at Gamma Ray as a guitar and/or drum driven band, rest assured Majestic doesn't become a synth-happy key fest like your typical Sonata Arctica album, as the Kai and crew keep the synth use in check and use it to enhance and supplement what you expect from Gamma Ray.

Still, Majestic is somewhat different than what one would except from Gamma Ray, but don't let this scare you off. Trust me, once you hear the main riff in the title track "Majesty" you'll know without doubt that Kai Hansen and Gamma Ray are indeed back!