Thy Majestie - The Lasting Power (2000)

When I first read about Italian band Thy Majestie, their supposed similarities with Rhapsody ensnared my interest straight away. And this album is one of the few of which I was not able to find on eBay, instead having to search for it on Amazon (which was a pain - I find eBay much easier to use).
This record has all the ingredients - historical battles merging into one story, ominous narration, sound effects and choirs. Only one main ingredient is missing.
Good songs.
Actually, I should go further than that. Yes, the songs are ordinary, with hardly anything in the way of inspiring melodies or interesting construction. But the whole arrangement is slack, almost lazy; it's like viewing a dull fantasy blockbuster, where the action prances around in front of  the viewer, but the viewer sits in his seat feeling quite unamazed and wondering if the whole thing is actually going to come together and get moving into something exhilerating and enjoyable.
There is potential here, certainly, and "Sword Of Justice" is reasonable. But, considering what I was hoping for, The Lasting Power is very disappointing.

**