Above the Sky

One of my favourite subgenres is, of course, power metal. I love the solos, the melodies, the voice and the feeling that this genre transmits to me.

I found out Majestica on YouTube. I found this album in a whole video and it quickly caught my attention. It had been a long time since I hadn't listened to this kind of power metal (fast, well-performed and with a lot of the things that I like about this kind of music).

The first thing that I noticed is that "Above the Sky" is an album of what I consider the real and original spirit of power metal. Nowadays I find bands like Sabaton and Powerwolf, that in spite that they aren't necessarily bad bands, I consider their styles as weird ways of making power metal, and those are styles that I personally don't like. "Above the Sky" has everything that I like of power metal and I'll be mentioning each of those aspects throughout this review.

Despite The Metal Archives page does not catalogue the band like a symphonic power metal band, "Above The Sky" has a lot of symphonic stuff. The sound of the keyboards is so prominent in the album that gives the sensation that there is an orchestra behind the band embellishing the music. The symphonic stuff gives more epicity to the album; it is delightful and simply marvellous.

Tommy Johansson is a very talented singer and he has a prodigious voice, capable of reaching very high notes, and his vocal work is very remarkable in the album. He may not become one of your favourite vocalists, but his voice accomplishes what it tries.

You may argue that the album is a little long (53 minutes without taking into account the extra tracks that, I think, are available in all the formats anyway), but the album really has amazing songs that can easily be the delusion of any power metal fan. This is what I meant when I said "real power metal". Most of the songs are fast, every member of the band stands out equally and they are also very talented. The music is great, very enjoyable; the choruses are epic and perfect to sing along with the band in a live presentation, but overall, each one of the songs has its own instrumental part, which to me, is something primordial to any power metal song to have an identity. Maybe I am sounding quite sophisticated, but at least that's the kind of power metal that I enjoy the most. Moreover, the instrumental parts here are exceptionals and gives a lot of points to the album, thanks to the magistral work on the guitars and by the same keyboard instrumentation that I already mentioned; it injects the music with passion, power and epiciness.

"Above the Sky" is an amazing record and, possibly, one of the best metal albums of 2019. An album that any power metal fan MUST listen to. It's a magic journey to the best moments of the genre. Who would say that the guitar player of Sabaton would make such amazing music like this? To be completely honest, Majestica has the potential enough for Tommy Johansson to leave Sabaton and form his own legacy along with this majestic band.

My favourite tracks: "Above the Sky", "Future Land", "Night Call Girl", "Father Time" and "Rising Tide".

Now this is what my heart had been waiting for in 2019! I’m not claiming this year to be lacking in decent melodic power metal. Hell, new releases from the likes of Skeletoon, Bloodbound, Beast In Black and Avantasia have all hit the mark in one way or another. But something about the do-over of Tommy Johansson’s brainchild, ReinXeed, just rubs me up the right way. Paying homage to his own 2010 album Majestic, Tommy gave the project an external makeover and rebranded it as Majestica – a more-than-suitable name for an act of this sub-genre. All the building blocks are there, schismless, setting the stage for Johansson to make a celebratory and triumphant return to the fold. Above The Sky does this in style – encapsulating everything we love about European power metal, but topping it off with his own quirky personal flair.

If there ever was a declamatory affirmation of triumph in one’s chosen field – it must be the stunning title-track “Above The Sky”; The perfect cut with which to open the album, it utterly explodes out of the speakers with oodles of magic, vibrancy and splendour. Galloping euro-power velocity, bass solos, layers of cheesy keyboards, Tommy’s soaring vocals, an extended middle section… it sums up everything good about the record in a concise 5-minute package. Not to mention this might be the best chorus of 2019. When I first heard that glorious refrain, I nearly crashed my car, such was my delighted physical response. Absolutely stunning. Luckily, the follow-up track, “Rising Tide”, does just the right thing in dropping the tempo slightly but keeping the energy up. Another brilliant chorus, showcasing Tommy’s songwriting ability, and another magnificent solo section. Even after the more concise and synth-laden “The Rat Pack”, with its odd chord sequences, the momentum and joy are sustained.

Track 4, “Mötley True”, is where the one true dip on ATS lies. Even though Majestica manage to make self-aware lyrics and humour work quite well (just wait til we cover “Father Time”!), the joke in its title doesn’t really seem to land. It also doesn’t need to be over 8 minutes as the tempo is slightly lumbering compared to the rest of the record. Not a bad track by any means, but a considerable step down from the other cuts here. Luckily, “The Way To Redemption” ramps the urgency and pace back up to full-tilt and boasts brilliant keyboard layering and shred-tastic solos. Majestica channel their inner Beast In Black on the hugely 80s-inspired “Night Call Girl”. This track is so much fun and not for metalheads who can’t smile. “Future Land” may have a derivative opening section with sparkly sugary sweet melodies, but it quickly develops into a pleasing Helloween-esque anthem. Then “The Legend” makes the most of its blaring, shamelessly cheesy synth and head-nodding vibe – which subdues the atmosphere just enough to lull the listener into a false sense of security, before…

…”Father Time” knocks you on your ass. Oh my god, what even is this track?! It’s a rocketing microcosm of majestic power metal refrains, hilarious lyrics and quirky set-pieces. There’s some bullshit about Santa and his reindeer; a bizarre ode to new year’s eve; pseudo-narration; the weirdest ending to a song since Annihilator’s “Hunter Killer”… and the can-can. I think I lost it at the can-can section. If you hear one song this year, make it this one. The album’s finale, “Alliance Forever”, is also not to be sniffed at – though it revolves primarily around its amazing chorus. Fading out on this soaring refrain was definitely the right choice. Above The Sky is not a boundary-breaker, but it’s a re-establishing of a much-loved name in the power metal community. For anyone tiring of ReinXeed’s output (heathens!), the fresh-out-the-box Majestica have arrived to rekindle the fire of enthusiasm for happy, angelic, melodic power metal in the vein of Freedom Call or Power Quest. Thank you Nuclear Blast, thank you Majestica, and thank you Tommy Johansson – this is exactly what I needed at this point in time.

I’ve been a fan of ReinXeed since they dropped ‘Higher’ in 2009, and since then they’ve put out some solid melodic power metal albums, sometimes a little too twee, too whimsical for their own good, but Tommy Johansson is a master at writing this sort of stuff, and he’s been relentless in getting his vision out there. I particularly liked his stint with Golden Resurrection, a Christian power metal project with Narnia vocalist Christian Rivel, and now of course he’s paying his bills through Sabaton, but that’s neither here nor there. He’s scored a deal with NB for the new ReinXeed album, only they’ve changed their name to Majestica and grabbed ex-Helloween drummer Uli Kusch for ‘Above The Sky’, the band’s shiny new record, and it’s Banger Central over here.

‘Above The Sky’ sports the best production the band have ever had, and to be honest, Tommy’s best batch of songs. Every one of these tunes could be a single; they are chockfull of catchy, uplifting melodies, killer neo-classical guitar work, shimmering keyboards, and constant double bass drumming. This is power metal circa 2001, with no fucks given, no memes in sight. That’s what I love about it. There are no hyper-speed odes to Dragonforce, no larcenous Gloryhammer hokum, just happy Helloween choruses, furious Stratovarius riffs, soaring vocal melodies, and sweeping solo sections that bring to mind early Sonata Arctica. It’s textbook, but it’s done with such verve, such fearless naivety, you can’t fault its effectiveness. I never thought Tommy was the best singer in the world, but he steps up to the plate here, with a wonderful, charming tone, a great Swedish ear for melody, and screeching highs that are, quite frankly, amazing. No one else could sing this stuff. Fuck Conti, who is becoming almost as ubiquitous as his mate Fabio. No. Tommy ReinXeed has it covered.

This album delivers, song after song, with no ballads, and no slow shit, either. There are mid-paced numbers like ‘Motley True’, but even that one picks up at the end. From the killer opening title track to the kicking ‘Rising Tide’ (which sounds much better on the record than it did to me as a single), through ‘The Rat Pack’, the silly ‘Father Time’, the Stratoween glory of ‘The Way To Redemption’, and even the AOR workout of ‘Night Call Girl’, it’s just one banger after another. Uli Kusch does a great job here, as expected with music that is so familiar, having played on the best Helloween albums in my opinion, and the guitar work is really stellar. The glossy production helps make this the most listenable fucking album I’ve heard in a long time. It’s one of those press-play-again-the-moment-it’s-over jobs.

I’m proud of Tommy for this. I’m glad Sabaton fans will check it out and discover a power metal album miles ahead of the middling bunk his day job is currently producing. Fans of classic melodic power metal like old Freedom Call, Helloween, Edguy, and Sonata Arctica absolutely need this, and with that gorgeous artwork, how can you not want this in your collection? More, please.