Black Majesty – Oceans of Black
Release Date: 20th June 2025
Label: Scarlet Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Power Metal
FFO: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Helloween.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Australia has produced its fair share of standout metal acts over the years. Bands like Thy Art is Murder, Parkway Drive, Psycroptic, and Be’Lakor have brought the proverbial thunder from down under for years, but you may not realize they export power metal, too. Case in point, Black Majesty has been unleashing soaring, high-octane power metal anthems with heroic flair since the early 2000s. Nearly 25 years in, they return with their eighth epic, Oceans of Black—and they’re not showing any signs of slackening off.
On Oceans of Black, Black Majesty keeps the spirit of power metal alive with John Cavaliere’s unrelenting, high-register vocals, Hanny Mohamed and Clinton James Bidie’s melodic twin-guitar attack, and Evan Harris and Zain Kimmie’s thunderous, battle-ready rhythm section. Songs like Dragon Lord, Oceans of Black, and the progressive-tinged Ghost in the Darkness, will get fans of Iron Maiden, Firewind, and Pyramaze banging their heads and singing along to the big choruses that Black Majesty provides in spades.
With Oceans of Black, Black Majesty proves there’s still plenty of songs to be mined from within the classic power metal framework. They’re not chasing trends or reinventing themselves—they’re sharpening what already works and delivering it with conviction. It’s the kind of record that reminds you why power metal endures, because when it’s done right, it hits like a surge of lightning, and Black Majesty still knows exactly where to strike.
(4 / 5)
