Photo: Zaharoula Harris
Melodic power/progressive metal remains a staple in this scribe’s collection – and has since the 1980s. So, in the early 2000s when Australian band Black Majesty arrived on the scene with their debut album Sands of Time, they made quite a splash. Now a few decades later, Oceans Of Black hits the streets as their eighth full-length studio record. Combining influences across their domestic, European, and North American landscapes, the performances continue to astound – fluid musicianship, undeniable melodies, and solid songwriting skills that stand up well on first (or umpteenth) listen. We reached out to the guitar duo of Hanny Mohammed and Clinton Bidie to discuss the new album, songwriting, favorite memories, guitar influences, a little fishing / Australian movie/tv talk, and what’s in store for tour plans.
Dead Rhetoric: Oceans of Black is the eighth and latest studio album for Black Majesty. Outside of the pandemic and two member changes between records, were there any other significant factors that caused the longer break as your last album Children of the Abyss came out in the fall of 2018?
Hanny Mohammed: We did actually start working on this record during the COVID times. During that time, we had some issues that happened in our personal lives. I was looking after my parents, and it was their last years. The band took a bit of time off just to get through that, which I really appreciated. Once that situation was out of the way, we were able to continue on with the album. Straight after 2018, we had a European tour for Children of the Abyss, Steve (Janevski) had left, and then we got Clinton in as our new member.
Clinton Bidie: Yes, I joined in 2019. Then Ben left on drums. I was a long-term fan of the band. When it came to things – my wife suggested I audition. She saw the news on Facebook about them losing Steve and needing a new guitarist. She knew what a fan I was of the band. I went to the audition – and I knew how the songs should sound as I had listened to the band for so long. It was easy. At least I could say I got the chance to play guitar with Black Majesty. The guys made me feel very welcome, and we are all from the same school of music theory. We all like the same things, so it worked really well.
Mohammed: We actually had auditioned about twenty guitarists. Clinton’s audition, he pretty much had it. I sent him a cheeky email, where it was like if I was you, I’d get my stuff ready. It was going to be pretty hard to top what he had done.
Bidie: One of the other things I’d like to say is when I first joined the band, I genuinely really love the band and the sound. I used to go to their gigs, especially for the first three or four albums. I’d be in the crowd screaming my head off. I met Hanny a few times over the years, and the guys were always very nice and approachable. I want to play the music how I’d like to hear it when I was in the audience. That is my mindset when I go on stage with the band. I think about what it felt like to be in the audience, to love the songs. It’s not like I have to change how I would write or how I would play, it works as the best sort of combination for me.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you describe the songwriting and recording process for Oceans of Black? At this point in the band’s career, are you conscious of where you want to take your style record by record, or were there specific elements/aspects you wanted to explore more this time around?
Mohammed: The same procedure as we’ve always taken. The two guitarists used to be me and Steve, now it’s changed to me and Clinton – we write our music separately. We will record it at home and then take things to the studio, via email, and we will work with it where we say this will work with this verse, or this riff – sometimes we will keep a complete song, or sometimes we will keep half of it, and then think about a harmony or another riff. If it was a song that Clinton was working on, Clinton will take it back and he’ll work on a new riff. Vice versa as well. It’s always been the same process even from the start of the band.
For what we are doing, we have to make music that we like. That’s the most important thing. We don’t want to be the type of band that signs with a label that has bands that only make music in a certain kind of way. If we like the way it sounds, that’s what we want to record. Power metal, heavy metal, classic metal – it’s never going to be grunge, that’s for sure. How do we feel about it?
Bidie: That’s true. It’s never forced. I think it’s because we love the same genre, we’ve got similar influences. We come from the same idea, the same direction. It’s never forced in terms of how we do the writing to make it sound like this. It’s worked really well, I think.
Mohammed: In the past we had been told from different people in the industry that we should change our style a little bit, play more like Dimmu Borgir and stuff like that. That’s not what its about for us. We’d rather be true to our music. If we are not true to our music, we probably wouldn’t be doing music at all.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you believe having a great singer like John Cavaliere is an incredible asset for the band to write and perform the way you are able to in Black Majesty?
Mohammed: 100%. We are very, very lucky and we always think about this. For him to be over the top of the music, it allows us to explore extra stuff beyond what we usually do. It’s almost like the Yngwie Malmsteen quote – ‘more is more’ (laughs). We like that.
Bidie: It’s definitely a luxury having a singer like John and his range. We like to write and think melodically, so it’s great to have someone with a range, his diversity in his techniques as well. We really can be creative, and you don’t have to compromise.
Dead Rhetoric: Were there any songs on the new record that took on the greatest transformation from their initial development to what we hear as the final product?
Mohammed: That’s a good question. Being that we had about thirty songs written to choose from, what it was would be like if a song didn’t work, it would be the three of us involved. It was like the red card you get in soccer.
Bidie: Once a song got the red card, it would be over.
Mohammed: Unless we were happy with a song that was 80% there in the first place. In some cases, the song would be 100% done, which happens 50% of the time since our first album, things like that. If you aren’t creating art, you can’t take things personally when things don’t work. There are so many guitar players out there, so many drummers out there, but then to make it a melodic, vocal song, John’s got to be inspired. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work – you can always try something later on with an idea, change the key. Sometimes you strike gold, you hold onto it, and it makes its way onto the album. The last song we wrote in our history of the band is “Oceans of Black”. We had a vocal melody for that, took it and worked on it, and over the next day or two (John) sent it to me and Clinton, and we knew it was going to be the title track of the album. Sometimes you just know things when things come together like that.
Dead Rhetoric: Beyond your guitar responsibilities, Clinton you also came up with the cover art. Has this always been a passion of yours, and how did the process work between you and the band to arrive at what we see for the final product?
Bidie: It was a bunch of ideas, sketching. What did we want to show with the picture? In heavy metal you have to tell a story, so you create the art half of it. It was a way of having the Black Majesty, the mascot, featured in the artwork but it’s Oceans of Black – so how do you represent that? We had the ocean, the ship coming into shore, and put the Black Majesty there on the shore. The song itself deals with issues of overcoming your fears and depression, and black can be almost insurmountable like doom. It’s about being resilient. We explore ideas together.
Mohammed: We also had an idea to show me fishing! (laughs)
Bidie: Yeah, but that didn’t work. At least three out of the five members, they love fishing. I’ve always wanted to go fishing. Sort of off topic, but I’ve actually never been fishing. I’ve eaten fish.
Mohammed: The rhythm section of Black Majesty is very, very keen fishermen.
Bidie: True story. When we flew over to Perth in Australia for a gig, Hanny and I were there with our guitars and the rhythm section were there with their fishing rods. (laughs). They wanted different fishing opportunities that we don’t have in Victoria.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s it like being a part of the Scarlet Records roster after your time on Limb Music and Pride & Joy Music respectively? How much importance do you place on the role of record labels these days in getting Black Majesty promoted properly, has it evolved from their original roles when the band started in the early 2000s?
Mohammed: For us, I’ve always been happy with the labels that we’ve been involved with. We have always been in touch with Scarlet Records, but we went with Limb first at the time, then Pride & Joy. After Pride & Joy for those two albums, we could have stayed. John remembered Scarlet Records, then we looked them up and see they’ve been doing really well. Their distribution is great. We figured we would give them a shot. Some other labels could give you a good offer, but their system of distribution could be less. We are very positive; we look forward to our future with Scarlet.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you describe the guitar techniques between the two of you as players? Are there qualities that are different that you each prefer that compliment the sound of Black Majesty?
Mohammed: We are very similar in a way.
Bidie: On some tracks, with “Dragon Lord” for example – my favorite part of the song is Hanny’s guitar solo and the outro solo. It’s so melodic and traditional metal, it’s fantastic. In all honesty, when it comes to a Black Majesty song, there’s two guitar solos, but I think of it as one solo. It’s great to have a contrast in techniques and influences. We both appreciate Ritchie Blackmore.
Mohammed: Especially on the new album, when I hear our solos for “Dragon Lord” – I love what Clinton plays, as it’s very Malmsteen-esque.
Bidie: If I was in a band by myself, and I’m just doing the solos by myself, the two guitar players give things a broader range. We are able to kick things into a gear and then melodically bring things back.
Mohammed: With Clinton’s solos, I love when we are going down an avenue, and he ends up taking a sharp left. It’s very important, that accent on the band, and that’s what we want him to do. I love players like Randy Rhoads and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Bidie: Joe Stump is also an amazing player. Michael Romeo from Symphony X. Jake E. Lee of course, he’s so great.
Mohammed: I also like my classic players – Tony Iommi, Rik Emmett of Triumph. When you learn something and you love it, you never want to let it go. Kai Hansen is always impressive, 100%. We could go on forever about guitarists that influence us, to be honest.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you consider some of the biggest challenges Black Majesty has to conquer at this point in your career?
Mohammed: Getting out there to Europe more. It’s where we get the most attention, and it’s where we belong. Another challenge is getting to South America. We get hounded by promoters and fans from South America – ‘why have you not come here?’. It’s not our fault. We’d love to come. And also, in the USA – we have waves of fans there.
Bidie: I’ve told the guys I’ll play anywhere.
Mohammed: Sometimes it’s about getting the right deal – we want to be safe. Generally, when we get our deals to go to Europe and Asia, it’s safe. The last time we got offers to tour South America and the USA, it was unsafe. Two different companies, one from South America and one from North America, joining together. All of a sudden, we had one side saying, don’t trust them – and the other side saying the same thing. We decided that we would look at this at another time.
Dead Rhetoric: The heavy music scene across Australia has been very productive – gaining a lot of international acclaim in a variety of genres. What qualities do you believe have helped put your country on the map – and what are your thoughts on the power/progressive metal scene there too that you are a part of?
Mohammed: It always starts with the first bands breaking out. When you go back to the 90s and traditional metal, it was Pegazus for example. Labels and promoters started paying more attention, and then you had bands like Vanishing Point, they went off to Europe. We had hard rock acts like Airbourne breaking out. It gives the country a bit of a name, and people have a bit more interest. When it comes to us, in 2007 we were invited to Wacken, and it was a big thing for everyone. We played that show and we saw people that travelled from our area in Australia to see us play and take in that festival – so it was great. There were some dark days during the early 90s in Australia – people would go see Iron Maiden, but the turnouts and support for local bands wasn’t there.
Dead Rhetoric: What would you say are some of the common misconceptions the average fan of the band has about the music and business decisions that have to be made to keep a group like Black Majesty going for so long?
Bidie: Inside the band it has to be a robust, working relationship. It is like a marriage. I have to say when the three of us are in our writing sessions in the room together, you get around dinner time and they get a delivery. I can order in a second – but I’ll listen to Hanny and John, and they will debate about this, but they want that and this. The point is, it’s a productive collaboration with these guys as they’ve done eight albums together, that’s over one hundred songs when you think about it. How can you do this for so many years and be productive? They push themselves to do things – they stay to sort of a power metal code, but take a chance to do different things. You need a strong relationship to be honest with each other. When I entered the band, Hanny told me if I write a bit of music and John doesn’t hear a song over my playing, we won’t use it. And don’t take it personally, we move onto the next idea.
That’s how it should be. Otherwise, if I say no, I’m not changing it, that could compromise the actual song and album. We might do something that’s not for the greater good. The stuff that got on the new album are the best ideas; they work really well. If you love the music, you have to put your ego aside and there’s a lot of experience with those guys. It’s a pleasure to write with them. But watching them work together, it’s a relationship that’s like a marriage. I’ve heard the two of them squabble over little things and I’m thinking, ‘you guys’ (laughs). A band, you can’t stay together for that long. Don’t get me wrong, things can get heated, but that’s like a family. If things don’t get heated people let things brew. It’s a robust relationship that comes from the love of the music. We don’t have these massive departures where we want to do this early 90s style funk riffs. That would never happen.
Mohammed: It’s different if you wanted to do a Priest thing, a Maiden thing – even a Stryper thing.
Dead Rhetoric: When looking at the history of Black Majesty, what would you consider a couple of standout or benchmark moments over the course of the band’s career? Specific albums, shows, festival appearances, or tours where you knew you were making more of an impact and mark on the scene through your work?
Mohammed: Definitely the first album, Sands of Time. We got in the Rock Hard magazine charts, top ten. We didn’t expect that one. Second one was The Silent Company – it was a really well-received album. We went on our first European tour, we played our first Headbangers Open Air festival, it was great as well. On the next album Tomorrowland, we got the chance to play Wacken. The first three albums, we didn’t expect this.
Bidie: The 10 Years Royal Collection. It’s a good collection. Some of the things on that are extra, unreleased things. It’s gold.
Mohammed: We are really lucky. We have our support base – which isn’t massive like Iron Maiden, but they are always there for us, waiting for us. Especially over the last seven years. They were patiently waiting for when this album would be released. We didn’t want to rush this – we could have had it come out two years ago. There is no way it would have been as good as it is now. We have some new songs already in the pipeline as well.
Dead Rhetoric: Any recommendations for other Australian television series or movies that our readers need to look into? I personally thoroughly enjoyed the two seasons of the detective / crime drama series Troppo as an example?
Mohammed: I just watch Australian horror movies. Talk To Me. Anyone into horror, check that out.
Bidie: We just had our first child, a three-month old, so I haven’t watched tv for three months. I have weird hours at the moment.
Mohammed: It’s a bit old, but the Underbelly series. Especially the first two seasons. It’s based on true events that happened in Melbourne. I drove by one of the areas where the actual shootings took place about five years later.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you see the next year or so shaping up for Black Majesty as far as shows, touring, festival appearances, and other promotional activities?
Mohammed: We’ve had too much time off. The shows will happen this year. We will announce an Australian album launch, we want to add Europe, the United States, and South America. We’ve got the right album behind us. If we don’t get there this year, we hope to get there next year. We’ve made a pact.
Bidie: The challenging thing will be making a setlist and putting it together. I’ve got these things I want to do; we have the new stuff as well. It’s a unique situation to have so much back catalog.
Mohammed: We need the right people to trust as well. We have seen what has happened to other people before – and we always try to stay positive. We’ve heard about the negative, so we can’t risk anything. We want people to do the right thing. We don’t want to be stuck somewhere – it has to be safe.