With the 2005 release of sophomore effort "Silent Company," Melbourne act Black Majesty built upon the success of 2001 debut "Sands Of Time" on a national and international level, earning a reputation as one of Australia’s biggest power metal exports. New album "Tomorrowland" is heavier and more progressive than its predecessor, making it another winner in the band's growing catalog. As it has before, Black Majesty altered its sound and direction ever so slightly on these 10 new tracks and reteamed with producer/engineer/mixer Endel Rivers. (Artist Dirk Illing again provided the cover art.)

The title track pretty much sums up the European-influenced power metal you expect from the band. "Forever Damned" lets guitarists Steve Janevski and Hanny Mohamed inject more muscle into the band’s fast-paced attack, while John "Gio" Cavaliere's soaring vocals are as impressive as ever. The slower and sparser "Into The Black" and "Evil In Your Eyes" (with its not-so-subtle Iron Maiden-style introduction) also allows him to truly demonstrate the depth of his range.

"Faces Of War" and "Another Dawn" are solid enough tracks, but nothing really makes them as memorable as the rest of the album. Stronger tunes like "Bleeding World" (which again recalls Iron Maiden), "Wings To Fly" and "Scars" show a bit more of the band’s progressive edge from "Sands Of Time" creeping into the song structures. The great guitar leads and multiple variations in the tempos are the biggest examples.

In what seems to be becoming a tradition, Black Majesty tackles an unlikely cover; the last time around it took on Jon English’s "Six Ribbons." Its latest experiment is Deep Purple’s "Soldier Of Fortune" from 1974’s "Stormbringer." Although the music is beefed up and has been given a metallic edge, it’s Cavaliere’s David Coverdale impersonation that makes this version work.

»blackmajesty.com