MAJESTIES
Vast Reaches Unclaimed
(20 Buck Spin)
38:38min

Firstly, I have no information whatsoever about the band MAJESTIES, at the moment, they seem to only exist on Instagram. It is a shame as I was looking for more information on them. Firstly, when I saw the cover I thought we were on a quest for some tight Death Metal, but what I was greeted with, to a rather pleasant surprise was some quality ’90s Swedish melodic Death Metal with a hint of thrashy elements. Now, as I dug in a little deep, I found what I was looking for. Have you heard of CELESTIIAL? The Funeral Doom Metal band which released two incredible full lengths on Bindrune Recordings? Which also has the bassist of AGALLOCH on it? Yup, that’s the one (I very recently got their second full length on CD and am looking for their debut on vinyl). Tanner Anderson is the guitarist / singer on that project alongside some spectacular releases. As I put pieces together, I know the personnel behind this band, just that they didn’t have any social media pages wasn’t going to stop me. Anyway, jumping straight into the album, the first track ‘In Yearning, Alive’ is truly inspired from the mid ’90s IN FLAMES and AT THE GATES, the guitar work is stellar! Anders Björler would be incredibly proud of MAJESTIES. Relentless guitar with poetic fretwork and brilliant drumming. The riffs flow like the river working alongside brilliant vocals which come together to mimic the atmosphere of the erstwhile brilliant melodic Death Metal sound. The ending of this track is like knitting these perfect outputs into one time woven pattern of beauty! Brilliant! This is the best Gothenburg sound out of Gothenburg in the recent past. If you like “Lunar Strain” and / or “The Jester Race”, simply go pre-order this album, the hype is real and you won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t expecting this at all, this is perhaps the most overlooked genre in the recent past, both personally and perhaps in the media too. As I listen to the next few tracks ‘The World Unseen’ and ‘Our Gracious Captors’ I am completely lost in how well this is written and performed. At the moment of writing this review they have three tracks up on Bandcamp and I strongly urge you to check them all out. The solos are sharp, melodic and incredibly easy on the ear. The songs in themselves are catchy and instantly connect with you. This is a major win for 20 Buck Spin and I genuinely hope this album sells well and motivates the band to put out more quality melodic Death Metal, we certainly need it! I’m surprised to say this album has very quietly slipped into my list for the year end already! Highly recommended! More information at: www.facebook.com/20buckspin, https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com

Vamsi Kanagovi

Vamsi Kanagovi

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