V.O.Z.

Majestic's V.O.Z. is that most ambitious of all album projects: a 2CD double album offering around two hours of music. Dominated by the hour-long title suite, it's a massive beast which reminds me both in presentation and aesthetic style of some of the Flower Kings' bulkier releases, such as Flower Power - and like Roine Stolt, Majestic's mastermind Jeff Hamel has an ear for a good vocal harmony or two, and co-opts a small quartet of voices to help out with that. With atmospheres ranging from dark to airy and lighthearted, a wide emotional scope is also captured.

When assessing albums such as this, the final score often hinges on whether the reviewer perceives any "filler", a highly subjective point. For my part, I can't give it a very high score because I found some of the sections concentrating on the four-piece choir to outstay their welcome a little and the album doesn't really hold my concentration all the way through; still, if you like the idea of two hours of multi-instrumentalist neo-prog with choral backing, it can't hurt to give this one a spin.