Review Summary: It's easy to do everything the right way.
Majesty’s
Thunder Rider is an album that is far from flawed but lacks the energy or the gusto to make a name for the band. To put it simply; Majesty does tick every box with
Thunder Rider but unfortunately the result is that lackluster and cheese filled that listeners will find very little in terms of basic enjoy ability.
Think of a gimmick, it has its place but it never really achieves what it sets out to do. This German power metal outfit do everything right, and basically it’s what lets their 2013 effort,
Thunder Rider fall short of making an impression. This eleven tracked unspectacular effort coming in at what seems to be a very lengthy fifty-eight minutes, highlights a very textbook approach to their music. When the term ‘textbook’ is thrown around it’s hard to imagine a band trying to do anything revolutionary, innovative or out of the ordinary that is going to create a better listen. Unfortunately, Majesty dots their “I’s” and cross their “t’s” without wavering from this ‘set in stone’ writing process.
Compare Majesty to other acts; the likes of Helloween (who also are releasing an album at the same time of the year) utilize the same thought processes shown here but where Majesty flops on clichéd lyrical phrases, Helloween practice well thought out ideas, excellent hook lines and memorable instrumental passages. Regrettably for Majesty, they fall short on all counts. Tracks like ‘New Era’ which include a use of well-placed hooks and even a mood setting organ section show a little promise for the record but despite the occasional gem gleaming in the dark,
Thunder Rider promises a record that is tedious to listen to and the occasional gems hardly seem worth the effort of finding.
While the record drips in cheesy mediocrity, there are ballads which drop the bar even lower. Take the six-minute ballad ‘Asteria’ where the same idea is recycled and overused. The track would have fared better if it had a shorter run time but as it is, it does the album no justice. To consider the album as a whole,
Thunder Rider is a rather lack-lustre attempt polarised by so many other bands of the genre. The music may suit the genre perfectly but its transition from musician to listener comes off a little more than dull.
Towards the end of this record there are some glimmers of hope, showing the band can manage to turn it around. Although it’s a little too late, ‘Rebellion Of Steel’s’ faster tempo and driving, bouncy riffs highlight the fact that Majesty can put together some solid ideas. This track comes as the most energetic and well-presented track on
Thunder Rider (as well as having one quality guitar solo of the face-melting variety). The final track of the album presents a few solid themes as well. Keep in mind that the album is choc-full of cheese, but fortunately ‘Metal Union’ continues where ‘Rebellion Of Steel’ left off. The simplistic rhyming patterns may be a turn off for some listeners’ but thankfully it’s not such a huge issue and they are used quite well. Overall,
Thunder Rider is hit or miss. Despite doing everything by the book, Majesty don’t do anything to freshen the power metal genre, nor do they present an album worthy of multiple listens but for all the ‘filler’ tracks and poorly executed power metal ballads there are indeed the occasional gem to shine through. Listen once, it may interest you but don’t set the expectation levels too high.
