Posted: January 24, 2012 at 11:16 am
Labyrinth Review from The Chronicles of UltraRock
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Let us dwell for a moment if Majestic, great discovery of yours truly (bug). Majestic is the project of Jeff Hamel, now under the auspices of guitarist Joey Mazzola, based in Detroit as a student of his, and quickly integrated into the local music scene (including the group Osmium). Back home (Minneapolis), now multi-instrumentalist, Jeff records and plays on MySpace (“Slychosis”, “String Theory”). This does not fall into deaf ears. Quickly contacted by the music business, it is also (thankfully) by singer Jessica Rasche and drummer Chris Nathe with Jeff that will produce the first album of what is now Majestic.
We are in 2011, the project has already suggested things like “Arrival” and “Ataraxia,” Prog’s ambitious enough and soaring instrumental that has found its audience and pushes the group to be delivered today (free on its website !) “Labyrinth.” The cover is typically Prog, but if the project was launched with a view Dream Theater, it is actually much more personal. By his own admission, Jeff has created Majestic after completing his musical culture based in the Dream Theater Prog 70s. And it shows. ”Labyrinth” features three tracks including the title track for half an hour of completed “Mosaic” and “Phoenix Rising”, a quarter of an hour each. This format “Klaus Schulze” is not unusual for the group, and allows it to sweep up the potential of the musical spectrum. Indeed, the three tracks follow without resembling. I will focus first on the first play, by far the most successful. What’s with great Jeff is his ability to knit securities but a natural extension disconcerting. The parts are stacked without repetition, but always with a great fluidity is due to the arrangements. Thus, it is never swung abruptly to Heavy Prog or vice versa: the two are constantly present, is simply yielding place respectively. Jessica’s voice is usually mixed well back, making it possible not to break the momentum mainly instrumental. His few passages in the foreground are all the more striking.Similarly, no way to crush you under the ears sometimes powerful rhythm guitars, all of this is relegated to the background, to comply with a thread too sensitive to the bully. The design is great and the result is just as important.
Stylistically, though the plot remains Heavy Prog and feels, 70s or other influences make all the difference. On the occasion of hovering a few passages, we find ourselves on the ground floor in the Synth Tangerine Dream or Vangelis, at other times in the 70s Oldfield, ELP, or when silver is more melodic. Then return to the Heavy but more than that of Ayreon Dream Theater … A true navigation, without ever breaking. This fluidity makes the success of the play that I do not hesitate to compare (from this point of view only!) To “Echoes”, the first composition of this size and complexity to hold its own. The other two will come to qualify the table. First “Mosaic” which plunges the ground floor in a modern suspicion of “Labyrinth.” The latter merely suggestive passages sometimes hypnotism Björk sometimes the linearity of Archive, “Mosaic” is built entirely on a more dynamic as Trip Hop Prog. However, the piece is the least successful, because it breaks his bias is dynamic and not a mass of disparate topics without own pace (which kills or Archive Björk also, I think). Rather, it “Phoenix Rising” that will hold my attention, via yet a third way: more guitars, more traditional Heavy, but also more melody and linearity. We go out sometimes more frankly the original style but colors not reached the other two titles, in return. Much more instrumental, he built the architecture around repeated motifs instrumental and highly developed, which distinguishes it from the title track which it resembles in other respects, especially the 70′s digressions that make the personality of Majestic.
This personality is the wealth of the group and its particularity in the middle of the stage Prog, which has yet extremely well received, which gives me great pleasure. Not just because I loved “Labyrinth,” but because it proves that, despite the criticism, the Prog is such ill-defined that makes its appeal. There is room for groups at odds with Dream Theater and all the better. Majestic is not there, but represents the current of fresh air can reduce this sensitivity ambient air lacking in other courses, this deference to the past and their curiosity to extend over instrumental tracks such those dotting “Labyrinth” with no shredder, but “intellectual” work, not play with the rhythms or patterns, just for the sake of sound and atmosphere. In short, humility in the genre. It feels good.
The site: www.majesticsongs.com
the_outcast
Posted: January 24, 2012 at 11:12 am
Majestic – Labyrinth Review from DPRP
Majestic was created in the mid-2000s as a solo project by Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist Jeff Hamel (formerly with Detroit progressive metal band Osmium). It was only in 2008, when – after the release of Hamel’s first two albums (String Theory and Descension) – the considerable talents of vocalist Jessica Rasche entered the picture, that the one-man project turned into a full-fledged band, albeit an exclusively studio-based one.Tracklist: Labyrinth (31:40), Mosaic (15:16), Phoenix Rising (14:20)
Like many studio-only projects, Majestic are quite prolific, having released three albums in as many years since Rasche and her husband, drummer Chris Nathe, got on board. While I had not been particularly impressed by Descension, 2009′s Arrival and especially last year’s Ataraxia showed a lot of potential, with much tighter compositional standards and Rasche’s pure yet commanding vocal tones exponentially increasing the music’s interest value. Both of those albums, however, seemed to follow the modern trend for running times well in excess of 60 minutes, which obviously put the attention span of the average listener to the test. Labyrinth, Majestic’s fourth album, released as a free download in the early summer of 2011, pursues an equally ambitious route, though cutting the running time down to slightly over an hour – almost 20 minutes shorter than its predecessors.
While Ataraxia featured 11 tracks, Labyrinth only comprises three songs, none of them under 15 minutes, and – in a very brave move – opens with the eponymous, 30-minute super-epic. On a personal level, I am not a huge advocate of tracks that are almost as long as the average vinyl record, because, in my decades-long experience as a listener, I have realized they are quite difficult to get right, and can very easily turn into a sprawling mess. I also believe that placing such a tour de force at the opening of the album is often counterproductive, as a top-heavy album almost inevitably produces a sense of weariness in the listener well before things are over. On the other hand, while Labyrinth (the track) suffers from the shortcomings shared by the majority of super-epics – chiefly a palpable lack of cohesion, with too many changes in tempo and mood, and a whole lot of diverse influences thrown into the mix – it does also offer quite a few moments of interest.
Though Majestic have occasionally been labelled as neo-prog, their quintessentially eclectic approach combines the influence of vintage prog acts such as Genesis and Pink Floyd with the more modern approach embodied by the likes of Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree. The really distinctive element in their music, however, resides in Jessica Rasche’s beautiful voice – even though on Labyrinth the emphasis is more firmly placed on the instrumental aspect of things, particularly on the interplay of keyboards and guitar, both handled by Hamel. While the drums (this time provided by John Wooten) sound occasionally a bit tinny, the lush keyboard layers add a sense of melody and solemnity, often creating entrancing atmospheres in contrast with the metallic harshness of the guitar riffs.
As previously hinted, the title-track introduces the album by pulling out all the stops, with slow yet incisive riffing out of the Black Sabbath songbook, distorted guitar passages and majestic (pardon the pun) keyboard surges. Rasche’s vocals begin in a low-key mode, then gain assurance, floating over the instrumental din with a graceful yet assertive tone that reminded me of Anneke van Giersbergen (formerly of The Gathering). Some of the heavier symphonic passages hint at Ayreon even more than Dream Theater, while the distinct spacey/psychedelic flavour of other sections, as well as the fluid, echoing tone of Hamel’s soloing, point to a strong Pink Floyd influence. As a whole, the track holds true to its title: meandering and definitely overlong, in spite of the not infrequent glimpses of potential greatness. On the other hand, Mosaic, in spite of its title, is the most cohesive number on the album, and the only one devoid of metal elements. Rasche sounds particularly authoritative, her clear yet full-bodied voice blending very effectively with the gently atmospheric mood, and complemented by the sharp, clear tone of Hamel’s guitar. The use of various sound effects merges with the nostalgic tone of the piano, and the often sparse texture of the song manages to hold the listener’s interest much better than the mind-boggling twists and turns of the title-track. With closer Phoenix Rising, the only completely instrumental track, the metal influences resurface in the shape of harsh riffs and fast and furious drumming, though alternating with rarefied passages and a particularly lovely guitar solo towards the end – almost like Pink Floyd jamming with Dream Theater.
With a striking cover by UK artist Mark Mayers, Labyrinth is an interesting effort, even though the somewhat extravagant title-track tends to overshadow the rest. Rasche’s outstanding vocals, which had been Ataraxia‘s biggest draw, are a bit underused, and the “kitchen-sink” approach adopted in the composition of the title-track can be a bit confusing, especially for first-time listeners. In my view, Majestic are at their best when pursuing the spacey/psychedelic route and keeping the metal influences to a minimum, to avoid sounding like yet another female-fronted symphonic prog metal band. While Jeff Hamel is undoubtedly an excellent instrumentalist, and the band has a lot of potential, they need to get a tighter grip on the compositional aspect and revert to the more balanced approach evidenced on Ataraxia.
Conclusion: 7 out of 10
RAFFAELLA BERRY
Posted: August 27, 2011 at 6:33 am
Translated via Google.
Original Article
Many thanks to Artur for featuring the Labyrinth title track in its entirety here on their radio show.
Review on MLWZ
| Author: Arthur Chachlowski |
| 17.08.2011. |
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 Jeff Hamel and Company (recording new album in its formation Majesticcollaborations with him both the “old” – Jessica Rasche (v) and the “new” – John Wooten (drums), Scott Hamel (bg), Jerry Swan (bg) – co ) We again uraczyli plate, on which the program consisted of music only “mammoth”. The title composition “Labyrinth” lasts 31 minutes and 40 seconds, and two supplemental recordings – “Mosaic” and “Phoenix Rising” – after a quarter. It is in a sense, a reference to the album “Arrival” (2008), which consisted solely of a long suit, and “denial” more “piosenkowego” puck “Ataraxia” (2010).
Just three songs. Which one best? Yes, you guessed it, dear readers, is the longest! The title, epic, multi-threaded and, nomen omen, majestic. Filled with long passages of synthesizer sounds that create partially floydowską, partly oldfieldowską, a truly cosmic atmosphere. In these epic synth patches are woven into both the romantic parts, and heavier guitars. Tempo and mood change here as in a kaleidoscope, the prevailing Reiterates Pink Floyd, Ayreon time, Sylvan once, and once Gazpacho (bows to the familiar atmosphere of the song “Tick Tock”). But the strength of this successful recording determines not only the instrumental side, but also the vocal parts. Jessica Rasche she can sing and get the impression that the CD disc presents a vocal workshop getting better.
Indeed it is difficult to comprehend the multi-threaded, though not for a moment into the trap of not catching nieprzystępności, track, and even harder to describe it in words. I think it is worth it just to listen and form their own opinions. If I were in one sentence describe him, I would say that is probably, as usual, the pinnacle Jeff Hamel and his team. In any case, the whole group of Majestic are behind this recording a very big applause.
Probably because the suite “Labyrinth” sounds so good and mature, the other two compositions on this CD does not give rise to a similar emotion. Both in the “Mosaic” and in “Phoenic Rising” Instrumental layer prevails, Jessica’s voice rarely speaks, and the spirit of the two floats psychedelic space rock. “Mosaic” is a suite of more peaceful. Lyrical, nocturne-like atmosphere. “Phoenix Rising” is the display of the game the whole team, but above all the main characters in the Majestic – a composer and phenomenal playing here on keyboards and guitars Jeff Hamel. In both works a lot going on (no wonder, in the course of 15 minutes has a lot going on, otherwise it blows right away boredom), long instrumental passages penetrate and mingle with each other, and the game the whole team deserves praise. Perhaps both of these songs is not so much drama and moments of compelling long as the composition of the title, but generally not, and so they reduce the high evaluation of this album.
“Labyrinth” is an inappropriate thing for fans rozpasanych, complex and rozbuchanych to the limit of songs. For lovers of a well thought out and really well done music, which is a combination of psychedelic space rock (“Labyrinth”), atmospheric rock (“Mosaic”) and heavy prog rock (“Phoenix Rising”). Altogether a very pleasant surprise and proof that the proposals by Jeff Hamel and companies from the disc to disc is becoming more interesting, accessible and intriguing.
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Posted: August 27, 2011 at 6:20 am
Original Article
Review from Progressive Rock & Progressive Metal E-zine
MAJESTIC - “Ataraxia”
The North American band Majestic is back to this webzine, this time to present their fourth album, “Ataraxia”. Majestic was founded in 2007 by guitarist Jeff Hamel, who played in various bands around Detroit from late 80’s to early 90’s. Because Hamel loved bands of the 70’s (mainly “Yes”, “Floyd”, “Genesis”, and “King Crimson”), he tried to capture their musical spirit on Majestic’s first album, “String Theory” (2008, Andromeda Records). Even before finishing the debut, Hamel was contacted by Russian Label MALS Ltd., which released Majestic’s album “Descension” (2008). The third album, “Arrival” (2009, MALS), had collaboration of Jessica Rasche (vocals) and Gregg Johns (“Slychosis” member and Hamel‘s partner on the “Proximal Distance Project”); and was featured at this webzine as “Best Release of September-2009”. Majestic’s fourth album, “Ataraxia” (2010, MALS), has collaboration of Jessica, Johns, and also of Jerry Swan (bass) and drummers Chris Nathe and John Wooten. In spite of being inspired by bands of the seventies (“Yes”, “Genesis”, “King Crimson”, “Deep Purple”, and “Camel”), the music of Majestic has a sonority that approaches modern bands like “Porcupine Tree”, “Ayreon”, “The Gathering”, “Arena”, “Star One”, “Magenta”, “Dream Theater”, “Jupiter Society”, “Slychosis”, “White Willow“, “Sylvan”, “Riverside”, and “Nemezis”. Compositions in general have a transmuting attribute, alternating from Neo-Prog and Space-Rock to Heavy-Prog and Prog-Metal, bringing atmospheric moments inserted within the frame. Some songs are long and completely instrumental, having symphonic arrangements made of multiple layers and textures of keyboards (reminiscent of Classic Prog bands like “Camel” and “Genesis”), all combined with long and elaborated guitar solos that sound either soaring and psychedelic, or neo-progressive (like “Floyd”, “Porcupine Tree”, “Ayreon”). The heaviest moments are reminiscent of bands like “Porcupine Tree”, “King Crimson” and “Star One”. Jessica’s vocals have a peculiar intonation that reminds me of “Anneke van Giersbergen” (“The Gathering”, “Agua de Annique”), and “Christina Booth” (“Magenta”). “Ataraxia” has 11 tracks. The softness of the introductory song “Disarray“ (with piano and vocals) strongly contrasts with the heaviness of “Faceless“ – a Prog-Metal piece that initially brings massive attack of guitars supported by gritty keyboards that remind me of early days of “Porcupine Tree”, and later, of “Jupiter Society”. The song slows down near the last third, when vocals finally enter. “Wither“ and “Numb“ are much more atmospheric. “Wither” (9 min) sounds like a crossover of “Porcupine Tree” and “The Gathering” (mainly because of the vocals), and flows slowly over an oriental-sounding background surrounded by Stravinsky-like symphonic arrangements, having an extended instrumental section with guitars and keyboards in “Crimson-Floyd” style. “Numb“ is dreamy, supported by string arrangements, and reminds me of “Agua de Annique”. A high degree of Progressiveness is present on the outstanding instrumental compositions “Astral Dream“ and “Dance of the Elders“. “Astral Dream“ (7min) is arranged like a cosmic Bolero, following a “King Crimson” kind of guitar, and gradually grows from a Space-Rock to a Heavy-Prog (like a blend of “Ayreon” and “Porcupine Tree”). The amazing “Dance of the Elders“ (8 min) is structured on an Electronic-Psychedelic frame supported by pulsing bass and synthesizers that keep a steady pace from the beginning to the end. Intense instrumental interplay is present, including keyboard melodies, soaring “Floydian”-guitars, violins, and sparse heavy guitar riffs in the style of “Porcupine Tree” and “Crimson”, with epic final chorus. But the musical climax of “Ataraxia” is reached on the gigantic tracks “Takes My Breath Away“ (c. 14:00) and “Altered State“ (c. 9:00). The first piece begins slowly, with sad vocals and soft flute-like sounds. The arrangements become more symphonic at the middle. Vocals reappear at the last third of the song, which is dominated by “Floydian” guitars and melodic keyboards like “Genesis” and “Camel”. The second piece inserts Heavy-Prog guitar riffing in a “Floydian” mood, with atmospheric vocals like (again, like “Porcupine Tree” and “The Gathering”). The short songs “Star Bound“ and “Delusion“ combine Techno-Prog coolness with Neo-Prog vibes, and will appeal to fans of recent works of “Porcupine Tree” and “Magenta”. The closing track “Reflections“ sounds rather like a bonus-track, for it does not fit into the concept of the album. It is an acoustic Prog-ballad featuring both male and female vocals. With this excellent “Ataraxia”, Majestic gives another step towards the solidification of their sonority and own style, something that might be farther developed on their newest release of 2011 (“Labyrinth”) that I hope to listen to soon. Majestic is highly recommended for fans of Heavy-Prog, Hard Neo-Prog and Prog-Metal that like non-operatic female vocals. Band members and collaborators involved inMajestic are: Jeff Hamel – Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Vocals; Jessica Rasche – Lead Vocals; Chris Nathe – Drums. Special guests: Jerry Swan – Bass (“Numb”); John Wooten - Drums (“Astral Dream”, “Dance of the Elders”); Gregg Johns – Guitars, Talkbox (“Altered State”); Jeremy Hamel – Acoustic Guitar (“Reflexions”)… (Comments by Marcelo Trotta)
Posted: August 27, 2011 at 6:09 am
Original Article
Review from Progarchives
Very interesting EP!
Majestic is the brainchild of US musician Jeff Hamel, who is actually a multi-instrmentalist and the one who composes and performs all the instruments in his albums. In 2009 he released an interesting 4-track EP entitled “Clover Suite” in which Jessica Rasche helps with her great vocals. This EP is shows a great mixture of symphonic and heavy prog.
The four tracks are entitled Clover, the only thing that changes is the number that follows the word, and it is simple, I, II, III and IV. The first one starts slowly, with vocals since the first moments, but little by little it is adding new atmospheres, different inner passages that take the listener to a fantastic place, where one can imagine things and stories. I like a lot the keyboard sound in the whole track, its excellent nuances and how it perfectly complements the voice, and the heavier guitars, when they are needed. The last two minutes are very mellow, excellent I would say.
The second part is the longest one reaching almost ten minutes. Keyboards working as fore and background at the same time, with a pretty cool acoustic guitar addition. The sound does remind me to some Neo Prog acts, that is why this project is labeled (at least here) as such. Hamel really knows how to structure a song, how to intercalate the instrumental moments with the ones with vocals, and how and when to make sudden changes in time and tempo, and mood. I have actually been surprised by this new discover. And what better way to listen to this, than going to their website and download it for free. In this sole track, we can really appreciate the musician’s wonderful skills in guitars, keyboards and even drums.
In the third part we have some spacey keyboards that remind me of some Ayreon moments. I like here how drums join, and how the keyboard sound is getting more and more intense, creating a kind of nervousness or tension. But this all disappears after a couple of minutes, and suddenly morphs into a neo-prog track, especially when female vocals appear. Well, but as you can imagine this is only a passage, because the song will offer one or two changes more, the most evident after five minutes with a metal-like guitar. Great!
And the final part is the shorter one, with only five minutes length. This is the softest of them all, this time with male voice, which I assume is the same Jeff. The sound is charming, even relaxing and suitable for an end. With this, the Clover Suite EP finishes. I am really happy with this discovery, and I highly recommend going and downloading it, and get more Majestic stuff. My final grade will be four stars.
Enjoy it!
Review by memowakeman
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Italian Prog Specialist
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