I recently spoke with Chris David, bass player for MAJESTICA (formerly REINXEED). They have an epic album album, 'Above The Sky' due for release on June 7th. As you would expect, he was a great guy to chat to. Check it all out below. If you'd prefer to read the interview, click here. Pre-order the album here. PRESS RELEASE
Tommy Johansson is well-known as the guitar player of the Swedish metallers SABATON. But before he joined the Swedish “war machine”, he was already busy playing in his own band named REINXEED, currently completed by bassist Chris David and guitarist Alex Oriz. Of course, his touring activities with SABATON has since slowed down the creative process for REINXEED. The group has now returned - seemingly out of nowhere - with a new 10-track album entitled »Above The Sky« and a brand new name, MAJESTICA. On the new record, Tommy presents not only his guitar skills but also his vocal abilities once again, which he also showcased as TWILIGHT FORCE’s stand-in singer throughout autumn 2017. Tommy states, “It’s been many years since we last released an album, so we decided to ‘start over’ as a new band, MAJESTICA, instead. It’s not only a majestic and epic name for a power metal band from Sweden, it’s also a tribute to the album »Majestic« that we released with REINXEED in 2010. We came up with it and it sounded great, it felt perfect for this kind of music and just feels right.” In regards to their musical direction he adds, “People can expect real power metal in the vein of HELLOWEEN, STRATOVARIUS and GAMMA RAY, but also great symphonic parts with catchy melodies and choruses with a lot of choral arrangements, guitar solos, beautiful inflections and of course - high pitched vocals like Michael Kiske, Timo Kotipelto and Sebastian Bach.” Also perfect for this kind of music is SABATON guitarist Chris Rörland’s (FOLLOW THE CIPHER etc.) cover artwork. “The idea for the artwork mainly came from Chris himself as he listened to the album and got an idea of what it’s all about. Of course, it can’t hide his passion for bands such as STRATOVARIUS, IRON MAIDEN, and TWILIGHT FORCE. The result is nothing less than majestic and really shows how talented Chris is not only as a guitarist but also as an artist,” Tommy adds. Not only their band name has changed, the quartet is also a trio at the moment. But fans don't have to worry: MAJESTICA bagged no less than Uli Kusch (ex-HELLOWEEN) for the drum recordings of their debut album. “It was a huge honour and his drums make this album sound more alive than any album I've ever recorded with any other band before. Since many songs are inspired by HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY it just felt right to have his drumming and input on the songs,” closes Tommy. The album was recorded with guitarist Alex Oriz (Soundgarden Studio/Studio Oriz) and Ronny Milianowicz (Studio Seven), who also mixed the record and took care of the production alongside Tommy Johansson (guitars, vocals). Mastering duties were handled by Tony Lindgren (KATATONIA, ANGRA, ENSLAVED etc.) at Fascination Street Studios. Comments are closed.
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