one small stEP is an EP from Boston based band, “Major Moment.” The band is heavily influenced by groups like Linkin Park (the album is even dedicated to the late Chester Bennington,) Nine Inch Nails and 30 Seconds to Mars. The intro is a pleasant surprise, a brief and eerily cerebral instrumental number that sounds like it could have been on the Poltergeist soundtrack. Before it’s Too Late is the first full length song. It features a lot of musically dynamic elements, some solid vocals (the verses are particularly good) and a memorably killer Iron Maiden tier guitar bridge near the end. The songs on here tend to start out mellow, with tepid intros and slowly build until they kick in with heavy, saturating choruses. You can just feel the energy when the song kicks in, like you’re near a mage unleashing a spell at full force. The Release is the softest tune on here. Instrumental in nature, it features delicate piano and captures a quiet, haunting ambiance.

Vocalist/guitarist Andrey Borzykin (whom I never would have guessed is from Russia) has a great, unassuming voice. It has an early 2000s emo quality but without sounding whiny. It’s very soothing and is complemented by (fellow Russian?) Alexandra ‘Sasha’ Razumova. The band plays very well together. They’re all on the same wavelength throughout this album. Lead guitarist Gabriel De Mattia continues in the tradition of excellent guitar players from Brazil (why are there so many?) Drummer Adam Soucy does what drummers do and holds the framework of the songs together. These are not the easiest songs to drum to I would imagine. There are a lot of changes to keep up with.

One impressive thing about one small stEP is the diversity of sound within songs. There is a lot of variety in the pacing, tone and the way in which synths are utilized. They really do cram a lot of creativity into each song. There is not a lot of repetition here, and no corners are cut (no copy and pasting, looping etc.) Unlike with many bands that sound nothing like their claimed influences, the music of Major Moment actually does bear an uncanny resemblance to Linkin Park, although it doesn’t contain the “rapcore” elements many associate with classic Linkin Park songs. This EP is worthy as an homage, but clearly the band has their own distinct sound, which has proven to be able to stand on its own.

For more info:

Official Website: http://www.majormomentband.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/majormoment
Bandcamp: http://majormoment.bandcamp.com/releases
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/majormoment
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/majormoment