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.

Majestic started in 2007 as a one-man project by musician Jeff Hamel,based in Minneapolis,USA.Jeff was a member of various little-known bands in his youth,before deciding to move alone and, encouraged by his son, he posted a couple of his compositions on ''myspace'',influenced by the likes of YES, GENESIS, RIVERSIDE and DREAM THEATER.The response was good and Jeff posted enough material for a demo CD.He was then approached by Andromeda Records and started working on a new album,but a bit later he was asked to collaborate with Russian MALS Records.So Jeff passed them what was supposed to be his demo CD and so ''Descension'' was born and released by the Russians in 2007.

''Descension'' is a nice mix of Symphonic Rock,Space Prog and Progressive Metal with definite influences by bands like GENESIS, PINK FLOYD, RIVERSIDE and DREAM THATER.The greatest element of ''Descension'' is that all instruments (handled alone by Hamel) are very balanced with no particular tendency for keyboard- or guitar-driven compositions,unlike tons of other one man projects.The tracks are varied, ranging from symphonic opuses with fantastic keyboard work and heavy prog cuts with strong guitars to metal-edged tracks with virtuosic playing and spacey passages with good use of synths and emotional guitar playing.Still,Hamel's voice needs some sort of development,being warm and sensitive,but the man is not a proffesional singer by any means.The compositions though are in a great level with their parts tightly connected,excellent flaws and a quite decent production.

Anyone seeking for modern progressive rock with a variety of influences should simply get this album.With a better singer aside,Jeff could certainly create something trully outstanding.