DESCENSION

Although by no means convincing as a whole, there are actually quite a few good sides to this debut album by US one-man band Majestic.

Influenced by the sound of 70's Genesis and Pink Floyd in particular, the compositions here are at times really beautiful and atmospheric excursions with multiple layers of floating synths, at times with some nice underscoring by organ, and a driving bass line is a feature in quite a few songs. Acoustic and electric guitars texture the songs quite nicely, and we're treated to some metal moments at times too; and even a few ventures into more electronic landscapes for variety.

What ruins this album are the vocals though; somewhat similar to Bryan Adams but without power, the weak and quite flat singing is distracting and annoying, at least for me. In my ears they sound out of tune quite often as well, and in many cases also following a different melody than the instruments.

Fans of symphonic rock that doesn't bother with vocals might seek this one out, others should approach with a great deal of caution.