From Italy comes Thy Majestie, an epic, symphonic power metal band whose fourth album, Jeanne D'Arc, is a sweeping and dramatic concept album about Joanne of Arc. With cover artwork from the famed Carl-Andrč Beckston (Edguy, Mike Terrana, TNT, Brazen Abbot) adorning the booklet, Thy Majestie's latest looks like a powerful and historical progressive metal statement even before you hit play on your CD player. Once you do though, the music instantly takes you on a wild ride in the fine tradition of bands like Kamelot, Rhapsody, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Edguy, Hammerfall, and Blind Guardian.
Production wise, this is some pretty impressive stuff here, with the guitar work from Maurizio Malta and Giovanno Santini tight and crunchy and consistently locking up with the symphonic and blazing keyboard style of Giuseppe Bondi. The rhythm section of bassist Dario D'Alessandro and drummer Claudio Diprima deliver the rock solid and often speedy foundation, but ultimately it is the soaring vocal delivery of new singer Giullo Di Gregorio who takes these songs and shapes them into the story that the band is trying to convey. Di Gregorio has a pretty impressive voice, a consistent mid-range with a fair amount of Italian accent, and he can also hit the upper register when needed.
Symphonic power metal and progressive metal fans will love the sweeping orchestrations and blazing solo spots that are featured everwhere on this album. Hints of classic Helloween pop up on the guitar interplay of "The Chosen", and the speedy double bass drum frenzy drives the aggressive "Ride to Chinon", a song also fueled by huge beds of keyboards and Di Gregorio's mix of soaring high notes and snarls. Keyboards play a huge role in the sound of Thy Majestie, and you'll get chills at the almost soundtrack effect on tunes like "March of the Brave" and "The Rise of a King" , two bombastic pieces driven by Bondi's immense orchestrations and plenty of chugging guitar work.
Overall this is pretty dramatic and over-the-top stuff, although not nearly at the level of a band like Rhapsody, but pretty close. If you like your metal with a heaping dose of symphonic arrangements, an assortment of intrumental interplay, and complex lyrics, this will be a must purchase for you.
Track Listing
01. Revelations
02. Maiden of Steel
03. The Chosen
04. Ride to Chinon
05. ...for Orleans
06. Up to the Battle!
07. March of the Brave
08. The Rise of a King
09. Siege of Paris
10. Time to Die
11. Inquisition
12. The Trial
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