OK, so maybe my "one post a week" plan didn't quite work out as I wanted it to. Which is strange, as I actually have a batch of these written already. Anyway.
MAJESTY – Their women are crying when we’re coming out
It was my first ever heavy metal concert. There I stood with my dark green t-shirt, which was the closest thing to black I had at that time, in some village the far side of Lower Bumblefuck, in the public gymnasium, watching this band whose singer nearly tripped and fell from a makeshift catwalk stage extension. An when I say “makeshift”, I mean a bunch of wooden crates stacked on each other, held together by a few ropes. And there stood Tarek “M.S.” Maghary, singer and mastermind of Majesty, the self-proclaimed “most important true metal band of Germany” shouting to just over 150 fans that there once was a time in the 90’s when a few grunge arseholes said heavy metal was dead, and how the whole world should now see these MASSES of metalheads.
Tarek told his story of how he became a metal warrior in the song, Keep it True: “I turned on the radio, it shocked me, yes it did/I heard some dolls of media, interesting like a piece of shit/I turned it off and swore an oath, if I break it, I shall die/I will fight for metal, the rest of my life!” If you consider that “M.S.” stands for “Metal Son”, you are willing to believe that things happened exactly the way Tarek put them there.
In case you haven’t guessed already, Majesty is something like the dumb version of Manowar. Saying they took the inspiration for music, lyrics and image from the Kings of Metal is an understatement akin to saying that it’s possible that there are more intelligent people than Sarah Palin. They are basically a Manowar knockoff (Ross the Boss even contributed a guitar solo for their song, Heavy Metal), only that their main lyricists – Tarek “M.S.” Maghary, who would have guessed? – has a limited grasp of the English language.
Oh, you don’t believe me? You are sitting there asking how it is possible to write lyrics that are even cheesier than Manowar’s? I don’t know how it is possible, but it most certainly is: “I caught the king, for mercy he begged/I took my sword and cut off his head/His body broke down on the grass/Yes we kicked his god damn ass/A new era is beginning/Of glory, pride and winning/Because of me.”
But wait! It gets better! Majesty split up in 2008. It was announced on their gig at the first Magic Circle Festival that Majesty had ended and they would be replaced by a band called Metal Force. Tarek said that the name came to him in a dream, so that he could fulfil his mission. Metal Force were signed to Joey DeMaio’s Magic Circle label, colour me surprised, and released one eponymous album, the title track of which stands out as the single most predictable piece of music I have ever heard. I swear I sang the chorus in kindergarten at some point! Unsurprisingly, Metal Force didn’t do well, and Tarek shifted back to Majesty in 2011. Is anybody still listening at this point? I have to admit that I lost my interest in the band long ago, and treat them as a piece of nostalgia, my true introduction to the world of heavy metal.
And therefore, I have to admit that I still kind of like them. Sure, their music is cheesy, but they are actually not really bad, and I consider their 2003 album, Reign in Glory, as actually pretty good, despite its obvious flaws. There’s a lot to like for someone who enjoys Manowar, or a watered-down version of Iron Maiden. And let me tell you that they are absolutely brilliant to sing along to when drunk.
Into the Night
Sword and Sorcery
Into the Stadiums
Faster, Louder, Metalforce (Metalforce)
MAJESTY – Their women are crying when we’re coming out
It was my first ever heavy metal concert. There I stood with my dark green t-shirt, which was the closest thing to black I had at that time, in some village the far side of Lower Bumblefuck, in the public gymnasium, watching this band whose singer nearly tripped and fell from a makeshift catwalk stage extension. An when I say “makeshift”, I mean a bunch of wooden crates stacked on each other, held together by a few ropes. And there stood Tarek “M.S.” Maghary, singer and mastermind of Majesty, the self-proclaimed “most important true metal band of Germany” shouting to just over 150 fans that there once was a time in the 90’s when a few grunge arseholes said heavy metal was dead, and how the whole world should now see these MASSES of metalheads.
Tarek told his story of how he became a metal warrior in the song, Keep it True: “I turned on the radio, it shocked me, yes it did/I heard some dolls of media, interesting like a piece of shit/I turned it off and swore an oath, if I break it, I shall die/I will fight for metal, the rest of my life!” If you consider that “M.S.” stands for “Metal Son”, you are willing to believe that things happened exactly the way Tarek put them there.
In case you haven’t guessed already, Majesty is something like the dumb version of Manowar. Saying they took the inspiration for music, lyrics and image from the Kings of Metal is an understatement akin to saying that it’s possible that there are more intelligent people than Sarah Palin. They are basically a Manowar knockoff (Ross the Boss even contributed a guitar solo for their song, Heavy Metal), only that their main lyricists – Tarek “M.S.” Maghary, who would have guessed? – has a limited grasp of the English language.
Oh, you don’t believe me? You are sitting there asking how it is possible to write lyrics that are even cheesier than Manowar’s? I don’t know how it is possible, but it most certainly is: “I caught the king, for mercy he begged/I took my sword and cut off his head/His body broke down on the grass/Yes we kicked his god damn ass/A new era is beginning/Of glory, pride and winning/Because of me.”
But wait! It gets better! Majesty split up in 2008. It was announced on their gig at the first Magic Circle Festival that Majesty had ended and they would be replaced by a band called Metal Force. Tarek said that the name came to him in a dream, so that he could fulfil his mission. Metal Force were signed to Joey DeMaio’s Magic Circle label, colour me surprised, and released one eponymous album, the title track of which stands out as the single most predictable piece of music I have ever heard. I swear I sang the chorus in kindergarten at some point! Unsurprisingly, Metal Force didn’t do well, and Tarek shifted back to Majesty in 2011. Is anybody still listening at this point? I have to admit that I lost my interest in the band long ago, and treat them as a piece of nostalgia, my true introduction to the world of heavy metal.
And therefore, I have to admit that I still kind of like them. Sure, their music is cheesy, but they are actually not really bad, and I consider their 2003 album, Reign in Glory, as actually pretty good, despite its obvious flaws. There’s a lot to like for someone who enjoys Manowar, or a watered-down version of Iron Maiden. And let me tell you that they are absolutely brilliant to sing along to when drunk.
Into the Night
Sword and Sorcery
Into the Stadiums
Faster, Louder, Metalforce (Metalforce)
