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Through Reality

by MAJESTY OF REVIVAL

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REVIEWS

WeLoveMetal.com

Is it just me or is the Ukraine producing some good metal these days? All genres seem to be represented and the underground appears to be doing very well, even getting their records to the highly sought after American markets. It’s amazing what an industry of musicians working together (not against) can accomplish.
Now that I have ranted let me introduce you to Majesty of Revival. These Ukrainian Power Metallers have only really been around since 2009, but have accomplished a lot in that short time. From their demo (which featured two songs found on this album) they headed into the studio and banged out the full length we are looking at today: Through Reality.
Before looking at some of my favorite tracks I want to make reference to the bands bio as well. They went through the struggles of many newly formed bands and went through members like Slayer fans go through razor blades, but they never seemed to let that set them back. They moved forward and continued to record. That shows true belief in the music they are making.
As for the music I encourage you to start with “Meaning of Life.” The song is neo-classical with a twist of chaos. The melodies and intricate guitar fulfill the elements for power metal, but the chaos is a welcome addition to those that like their music a little more on the heavy side.
“The Code” is one of my favorites for the one instrument I didn’t expect to enjoy. The organ. Of course metal uses the organ all the time, but Majesty of Revival uses it much like the drums are used in typical songs; to give the song rhythm. With this effect the drums are allowed to roam freely.
The theatrics of the band shine through in “Blind.” The song is very strong for self-visualization and takes you to a world of your own creation. The storytelling in the song is admirable for a non-English band and definitely worth checking out.
In the end Majesty of Revival’s Through Reality is a powerful piece of atmospheric metal. The sound is concrete and features enough variety to keep you engaged. If the album does anything it sells the band live because the theatrics of the music alone would lead to an incredible stage show.

Martell

 

Battle Helm

With a name like Majesty Revival this could not be anything but power metal with a symphonic touch. And so it is. As with all kinds of metal there are the good, the great and the not so great. Majesty Revival belong to the good category. This is meal in the same category as for example Evergrey or Andromeda. Metal that is borderline. Not enough power metal and not enough symphonic/progressive to be considered a fully fledged member. But I like the mix that they present. There is something to great arrangements, guitar solos that are all over the place and a vocalist that could break glass. I like this kind of metal that is pretentious without trying to be it. I like pretentious if it’s done the right way.

Anders Ekdahl

 

Hard City

Through Reality is the debut full-length album from Ukraine’s progressive power metal band Majesty Revival. This band captures a variety of different metal genres and incorporates a mixture of neoclassical symphonic elements into their progressive power metal sound. Formed by guitarist Dmitry Pavlovsky Majesty of Revival is a band that along with other European Progressive Power metal bands knows how to make intense technical albums with fantasy based lyrical themes. Through Reality starts out with blazing guitars and lightening quick drums in the first track Meaning Of Life. Also, the keyboards help create a strong composed atmosphere and the lyrics are well constructed. Singer Konstantin Naumenko has a powerful melodic voice that works well with the empowering riffs. In the background during the second track Self-Control there are growls while Konstantin is singing which I find a bit strange and really the lyrics get lost in Dmitry’s insane technical guitar playing.
The best song on this album to me is The Code because the dark organ introduction captures my attention and the guitar playing is magnificent. The riff is solid with a galloping style and the solo is neoclassical brilliance. His playing reminds me of Yngwie Malmsteen and Luca Turilli. There is not a bad riff on this album and the notes ring out with perfection. The instrumental song Masked Illusion shows the amazing musical talent of each member and another track on this album that I really find fascinating. The guitar solos trade off with the blistering keyboard playing while the drums maintain a heavy rhythm through out the entire song. The song Blind is a mellow song where the tempo is slowed down in certain parts to create a soothing ambience, but I like how the solo is still in your face crazy neoclassical shredding.
The keyboard playing provided by Marat Adiev is dynamic and provides solid rhythms for each song. The composition and production of each song is excellent and I can tell these are some well trained musicians. When it comes to the albums vocals I personally find the singer’s high vocal range emphasis during the choruses to be repetitive. That is why I am not a big power metal fan because the vocals sound too similar and really are used to capture the emotion of the song during the chorus. Even with the strong uplifting choruses I find the lyrics to be very hollow and lack substance. Now there are a couple of tracks where I enjoy the lyrical concepts, those being The Moonlight and The Code. However, the reason is that the intensity of the music builds up in those songs and the lyrics tie in well with the choruses.
After listening to this album I believe the different musical elements can appeal to a wide range of heavy metal fans. Without question I enjoyed the guitar playing the most since the technicality and melodic shredding is a true form of art that in other metal genres is done sloppily. Vocally I am not as enthusiastic as the instrumentals, but to each his own. My final rating of this album is a four out of five because the album lives up to it’s progressive power metal status. Instrumentally the album is a five out of five, but I feel the lyrics and vocals could have been stronger. Majesty of Revival seems like a band that will keep on producing solid albums and attract a diverse metal audience.

4/5
DJ Rob “The Metal Guy” Stevens

 

Lords Of Metal

From Ukraine hails this Majesty Revival. After a few spins I can conclude that it is a rather nice album, but very exciting it is getting nowhere. The album sounds like typical old school heavy power metal as we know if from Gamma Ray and all their Italian counterparts. Also we hear some classical metal as we know if from Yngwie Malmsteen. But as already mentioned the album is ok but nothing more then that. The vocals, musically, production wise and the writing of the songs seem all from a lower division. I would say for the real die-hards is it interesting to check it but for all others let us wait for their next album.

63/100
Frank V.

 

Music Guide To The Galaxy

So today I have the pleasure to introduce you to Majesty Of Revival an Ukrainian progressive power metal band. When first listening bands like Ygnie Malmsteen and Rhapsody immediately spring to mind. The sound quality is actually really nice, pretty good considering it’s a debut album. All the instruments sound right, this is especially noticeable with the organ used in ‘the code’ But not every song here is a winner, there are some weaker ones like Magnolia Dei, the sudden use of more brutal vocals are out of place and they just aren’t that great.
The artwork is very very fitting, no way somebody wouldn’t look at this and would mistake the genre, well done guys. The booklet contains the lyrics as expected but I do have a gripe with it. Namely the text is almost impossible to read, being such a small font doesn’t really help either. I’m hoping for their next release this will be addressed. I like to know what they are singing about. For a first album this is quite good, I’m definitely looking forward to what they will bring in the future.
Ps: The highlight of the album was definitely self-control, just a song that really really works.

4,5/5

 

Get Ready to ROCK

The back cover of this CD contains the legend ‘the majesty of power metal’ which set my expectations high. In some respects they do reach a high standard and power metal is indeed the order of the day, but ultimately this album is adequate rather than majestic.
Formed in the Ukraine back in 2009 by virtuoso guitarist Dmitriy Pavlovskiy, this is the band’s first full release. As stated the guys play power metal to a high standard with all members turning in first class performances. At times though, this proves to be the band’s downfall as songs are reduced to noodlefests with guitar and keyboards competing against each other. Don’t get me wrong though, there is a lot to like here, most of the time the guys play well and the songs are well written with classical Bach like influences throughout.
Overall then, this is a competent power metal album from a band that are perhaps trying a bit too hard to impress, a bit more focus next time and they could be on to a winner.

David Wilson

 

Extreme Underground Music Zine

Majesty Of Revival are a band from Ukraine that plays a mixture of neo classical and power metal and this is a review of their 2012 album “Through Reality” which was released by Metal Scrap Records.
Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the keyboards bring a very symphonic and classical sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they h ave a very powerful sound to them.
Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast power metal riffs that are more in the modern direction with some melody being thrown into the riffing at times, while the lead guitars are very melodic power metal guitar solos and leads mixing in some neo classical elements, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to add more progressive touches to the recording.
Vocals are mostly clean singing power metal vocals with some a brief use of growls, while the lyrics cover dark and everyday themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound to it where you can h ear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.
In my opinion Majesty Of Revival are a very great sounding hybrid of neo classical and power metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should c heck out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE “Self Control” “The Code” “Magnalia Dei” and “Reality”. RECOMMENDED BUY

OccultBlackMetal

 

Metal CD Ratings

Majesty of Revival is a new and exciting power metal band from the Ukraine and ‘Through reality’ is their full-length debut, which was picked up by the label Metal Scrap Records. What immediately stood out to me is that the band’s vocalist is Konstantin Naumenko, who is also the vocalist for the spectacular band Sunrise, who already have 2 amazing CDs under their belt – ‘Liberty’ and ‘Trust your soul’. ‘Trust your soul’ was probably my favorite CD in 2010 (it received the ultra-rare 5/5 rating!), so you can imagine that I was really looking forward to this debut.
The band plays a fast and fairly aggressive style of neo-classical power metal, and their bassist/guitarist Dimitriy Pavlovskiy also has a solo project named Powersquad. That project actually contains many members from Majesty of Revival, and they’ve already released an all-instrumental ‘s/t’ debut. So Dimitriy is an experienced and skilled guitarist, and this CD has plenty of flashy and lightning-fast neo-classsical styled guitar work. We usually don’t find guitarists like this from the Ukraine (like other countries in Europe – especially Sweden), so this CD is kinda special.
For overall comparisons, the band fits well into the group that contains bands like Angel of Eden, Iron Mask, Crylord, Euroforce, Space Odyssey, Reign of Terror, Evil Masquerade, Steel Seal, Majestic, Virtuocity, Time Requiem, and the best direct comparison is probably Magic Kingdom, as like that band, Majesty of Revival is slightly faster and more aggressive than most of these other bands. In fact, they even throw in some extreme (death) vocals on this CD, though very little, which is a good thing in my mind, as I greatly prefer Konstantin’s clean vocals.
The quality of this CD can easily be described as consistently great. None of the songs are weak, while none of them absolutely blow me away either. Musically the CD is excellent and definitely near the 4/5 level, but the extreme vocals bring the CD down just a bit for me personally (even though there’s not a lot of those vocals), and I also feel that Konstantin, while really good on this CD, stands out more on Sunrise’s CDs and perhaps he fits Sunrise’s melodic power metal style a little better. Regardless, this is a strong start for the band, and if you’re into neo-classical power metal and the bands mentioned as comparisons, you’ll surely be satisfied with this CD.

3.5/5
CLINT

 

rocktopia.co.uk

Another day, another power metal album from distant lands, with the metal being supplied by Majesty Of Revival who hail all the way from the Ukraine. It’s not a country known for this sort of thing, so it’s quite a surprise to receive an album so competently done, with Majesty Of Revival (daft name) throwing their hat (probably a furry one) confidently into the power metal ring.
Although at heart a straightforward power metal act with the requisite high register vocals and fierce melodies, Majesty Of Revival do try and shake things up a bit with some delightful sub classical guitar flourishes, with Dmitriy Pavlovskiy coming off a bit Malmsteen-y at times, but in the best possible way. This is counterbalanced by some sterling keyboard work from Marat Adiev, and to be honest there is something to keep the listener interested in every track, and that includes guitar nerds as there is some simply stunning work throughout, particularly on the instrumental ‘Masked Illusion’, which is, at four minutes, way too short.
Although inspirations are easy enough to spot, I was heartened to hear a totally original sound within ‘Through Reality’. It’s an easy album to listen to on the surface, and gets bonus points for having more depth than most power metal albums even hint at. The vocals are good for this sort of music, although nothing special, but as a package Majesty Of Revival should go down a storm with anyone who likes their power metal to have that little bit extra.
A very pleasant surprise indeed.

Alan Holloway

 

metalliville.co.uk

Ukranian melodic metal starlets Majesty Of Revival indeed revive a majestic sound despite one I never recall the demise of.
Fiery progressive metal with passion and force, saturated in the as-always incredible musicianship and vocals is what Europe is prided over, even if not only in the Eastern sector. Rocketing guitars with fast lines and solos that read like a quick thriller novel, long length numbers are mercifully in short supply here with only ‘Reality’ and ‘Epilogus’ exceeding the seven-minute mark. Keeping it commercial, ‘Meaning Of Life’, ‘The Moonlight’, ‘The Code’, ‘Masked Illusion’ and ‘Blind’ distribute all the required parts with precision,guitarist Dmitriy Pavlovskiy giving great lead-based backings to vocal sections as well as the sizzling solos he vends in tandem after.
Riveting ivory talent from Marat Adiev also helps heighten the bar at the other end, duelling organ and synth parts sending every song on a trip into the near extravagant and denondsrating that length isnt always necessarily to lunp the best elements so carefully in together. Vocalist Konstantin Naumenko tops off this scrumptious musical trifle with fine cream for a range, showing good octaves in both the fast-beat and ballad oriented departments.
Special guest vocalist Norrtti nearly ruptures the momentum with his murky goth metal snarl on seventh track ‘Magnatia Dei’ but the untimely rise in instrumental ferocity dissolves amongst the album after a couple of listens. Stunning work from over the mainland again, the Urkrainians seriously up the ante again with this album.Modestly cut with thought allowed to whats important and what might not be in classic metals creation, Majesty Of Revival’s first full-length piece seals further a future for the genres longevity.
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Kamelot, Rhapsody, Epica, Stratovarius Nightwish, Mostly Autumn & Candlemass.

9.5/10
Dave Attrill

 

Behind The Veil

I think that the name of the band gives you a hint of what you will listen to from them, especially if you have some experience in the metal scene. Well, I will reveal to you their sound, although most of you already have found it on your own.
The guys are from the Ukraine and their sound is neoclassical power metal with a progressive metal edge. Actually the band brought to my mind groups like AT VANCE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, FALCONER and RHAPSODY, but also they have moments that reminded me of RAINBOW, URIAH HEEP and SYMPHONY X. The interesting part though with these guys is that they have a good balance between the dynamic and melodic parts in their sound and above all they are not overdoing it with the solos. On the contrary they use their skills in order to give more depth and color to their compositions. “Through Reality” is a very good release, especially if you consider that it is their debut album and it creates to the listener a variety of emotions. It is a release full of lyricism and epic moments. I think that they deserve the attention of the power metal audience and also leave us with a promise that they will give us even better releases in the future.

7,5/10
Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis

 

Legacy #80

Ob es Victor Smolski und sein Schaffen bei Mind Odyssey war, das die Ukrainer von MAJESTOY OF REVIVAL inspiriert hat, bleibt eine vage Vermutung. Allerdings ist der teils neoklassische Sound des osteurop?ischen Quintetts stark an die letzten beiden Alben der Ex-Band des aktuellen Rage-Gitarristen angelehnt, wenngleich “Through Reality” weniger pomp?s, daf?r aber teils dramatischer inszeniert wird als die unterbewerteten Genre-Klassiker. Die Band gibt sich gerade zu Beginn arg verspielt und fi ndet noch keinen richtigen Konsens, auf dem Nummern wie ‘Self Control’ und ‘The Moonlight’ fu?en k?nnten. Erst im energischer komponierten ‘The Code’ kommt die Band langsam in Fahrt, arbeitet sich weiterhin professionell durch das Instrumental ‘Blind’ und wei? schlie?lich auch vertrackte, sph?rische St?cke wie ‘Reality’ und ‘Epilogue’ mitrei?end anzupacken. Es ist zwar nicht alles Gold, was bei diesen Ukrainern gl?nzt, aber im Gro?en und Ganzen ist “Through Reality” ein anst?ndiger Output einer inzwischen ziemlich verwaisten Szene. Und gerade weil die verschachtelten Elemente nicht mit dem neoklassischen Ansatz kollidieren, haben MAJESTY OF REVIVAL auf jeden Fall ein offenes Ohr verdient.

10 Punkte
Bj?rn Backes

 

Aquelarre Zine

Brilliant Symphonic power metal with really heavy riffs and absolutely demented guitar solos. Ukraine surprises with this kind of bands, packaged with a cool graphic design, great vocals with technical drums with some high tech keyboard passages. Definitely musical supremacy. You will transport into a futuristic landscape of chaos and outer reaches of the power metal genre.

Paul Caravasi

 

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