Majesty

Majesty emerged in the late 1990s as a German heavy metal outfit whose power metal leanings and overt devotion to Manowar were signaled directly by the band's name itself. Singer, keyboardist, and guitarist Tarek Maghary assembled the group in Lauda, the town positioned midway between Frankfurt and Stuttgart. The core early membership stabilized around Maghary, guitarist Udo Keppner, keyboardist Markus Pruszydlo (later succeeded by Andy Moll), bassist Martin Hehn, and young drummer Ingo Zadravec. Two demos appeared in 1998 and 1999 before the musicians funded their own debut album, Keep It True, issued in 2000. Although the record broke no stylistic ground, its sincere celebration of metal traditions earned favorable notices in the metal media. Those reviews helped secure a spot at the 2001 Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen and, shortly afterward, a deal with Massacre Records.

A series of consistently “true” metal albums followed. Swords and Sorcery arrived in 2002, bringing drummer Michael Gräter into the lineup and a guest solo from ex-Manowar guitarist Ross the Boss. Reign in Glory came next in 2003, adding second guitarist Rolf Munkes. The prematurely released double live set Metal Law appeared in 2004, captured after Keppner and Hehn had already departed; bassist Marcus Bielenberg replaced the latter. In the ensuing year Majesty continued touring and recording, enlisting second guitarist Björn Daigger and sharing German stages with U.D.O. and Rebellion. From those sessions emerged the uneven Sons of a New Millennium EP and the full-length Hellforces, which surfaced in early 2006. By then the band had begun trading some of its power metal velocity for a more classic heavy metal approach reminiscent of Hammerfall and Dream Evil. A management agreement with Manowar’s Magic Circle Productions was signed in November 2006, yet Majesty stayed largely inactive through the following year. In July 2008, Maghary officially dissolved the group to start a new project called Metalforce.