'The Lasting Power' is the debut album from Italian symphonic power metallers Thy Majestie. The band's music is very epic and it certainly has an original edge to it. When I say symphonic I really mean it. There's the Teatro Massimo Opera Choir guesting on the album and it adds a truly epic feel to the music. Thy Majestie have gathered their influences from metal, classical and folk music. The music flows on nicely, never stagnating. There are a lot of moods, drama and atmosphere and the music really grabs its listener.

'The Lasting Power' tells a story about everlasting battle between the good and the evil. It is freely inspired by 'The Sword of Shannara' written by Terry Brooks. The story's hero, Arter the warrior, fights evil powers and tries to bring peace back to his home region. More atmosphere is added by including a few short interludes which include ambient sounds from forests, battlefields and so on. Nine of the album's tracks are interludes (1-2 minutes long), and only six are longer songs (total of 40 minutes). This album is actually one of those records, that should be listened through on one session, because the music is so diverse and it is partly chopped into so tiny chunks.

The musicians are good. The vocalist Dario Grillo has a bit too high voice for my taste, but he also descends to lower keys at times. His voice is not the best one around, but he is accompanied by the choir which is used very well, as are the female vocals. One real gripe from me is about some synths: sometimes (eg. on track 2) the synth work sounds a bit cheap. Not a big problem though. Otherwise the album has been produced well enough, meaning that the production is quite average, but everything is clear. The bass drums are way too loud in the mix.

This is for the fans of power metal, but also those who enjoy Therion and Nightwish and such band incorporating symphonic element. 'The Lasting Power' offers a nice experience and it is a good debut record. I won't compare this with other Italian power metal bands, such as Rhapsody, Labyrinth etc., because my experience with them is still very limited. 'The Lasting Power' is an enjoyable fantasy tale if you are seeking for one.

Rating: 6+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
12/31/2000 21:24