{"id":79512,"date":"2023-02-07T17:47:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T16:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/?p=79512"},"modified":"2023-02-07T17:48:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T16:48:48","slug":"album-review-majustice-ancestral-recall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/2023\/02\/album-review-majustice-ancestral-recall\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: MAJUSTICE \u2013 Ancestral Recall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drawing influence and inspiration from such metal greats as Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman and Stratovarius, MAJUSTICE are a Japanese\/multinational band who are putting the \u2018power\u2019 into \u2018power metal\u2019. A septet that delivers a sound that\u2019s far bigger than their constituent parts, Ancestral Recall<\/em> is a foot-on-the-monitor, horns-held-high musical celebration and one that should bring the band some global attention.<\/p>\n

There are some albums that immediately grab you by the lapels and give a good shake, and that\u2019s certainly the case with the riff that heralds the arrival opening track Infinite Visions<\/em>. It\u2019s the stuff that metalhead\u2019s dreams are made of, and when the rest of the band kick in, you\u2019ll think you\u2019ve died and gone to some kind of headbanging heaven. I\u2019m picking up a definite Teutonic influence in the band\u2019s sound, and it\u2019s one that recalls the classic power metal of Blind Guardian, Edguy and Helloween. Full of dizzying guitar solos and soaring vocals (courtesy of Iuri Sanson) Infinite Visions<\/em> is a song that lifts the listener up on feathered wings and carries you towards some infinitesimal point on the horizon. The interplay between guitarists Jien Takahashi and Kelly Simonz is simply stunning and when you factor in some nifty noodling from Ukrainian keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij (who also plies his trade in Californian progressive metal band Ring Of Fire) you have a song that blurs its colours like a wildly rotating spinning top.<\/p>\n

All of the musicians who comprise MAJUSTICE are leaders in their field and the dexterity they display can certainly leave you disorientated, but while much technically proficient metal can be mechanical and sterile, but definitely not the tracks that comprise Ancestral Recall<\/em>. These songs have the human touch, the anthemic Give It Up<\/em> would have been a huge hit had it been released in the 1980s while the emotive Dangerous<\/em> tugs at the heartstrings and leaves you drained at its haunting conclusion. Much of the band\u2019s prowess comes from Sanson\u2019s versatile voice and his impressive range handles both rockers and ballads with equal aplomb. However, this album works best when it throws off the shackles (such as on the high-octane Now Your Turn<\/em>) and races along at warp speed. Drummer Yosuke Ibuki and bassist Kaz Nakamura create a formidable rhythm section (the latter also playing in Kelly Simonz\u2019s Blind Faith) and ensure that no matter whatever tempo the band play, they always pack a punch.<\/p>\n

With only one song clocking in at under four minutes, things tend to veer towards the grandiose, and if you were ever called on an epic quest to save the universe, then this album would provide the perfect soundtrack. Theatrical, emotional and dramatic, Ancestral Recall<\/em> is everything you\u2019d want from a power metal album and I can\u2019t wait for the next instalment.<\/p>\n