It only took Jester Majesty one year to deliver their debut album!
Led by Alessandro Gargivolo (guitar/bass/vocals, Alchemist) and Erymanthon Seth (lead guitar/keyboards, Apocalypse, Teratum), the band only needed an EP to convince their label, Xtreem Music, to put their trust in them for Infinite Measure, Finite Existence.
We dive right in with Zero-Point Collapse, which offers up some effective opening riffs that alternate between simplicity and dissonance before picking up speed for the lengthy Human vs. Machine, which quickly reveals its technical prowess, followed by the appearance of some rather trippy vocals that reinforce the prog aspect. There are also clear melodic touches that pull us out of the frenzy, but the band knows how to plunge us back in, and they don’t hesitate to let their rhythm section ignite again before joining Echoes of Pi, once again weaving heady harmonics. The sound remains aggressive when necessary, but it mainly leans towards an ethereal dimension on this track, which eventually leads to Married to the Masterplan, which is much more jerky but above all much more experimental, not hesitating to line up unexpected rhythm changes and complex influences before giving way to The Curse of Majesty, which follows suit with an assumed ferocity perfect for frantically banging your head. There are still a few moments of hesitation when the vocalist decides, but then When Numbers Speak resumes the assault at full speed thanks to jerky patterns and fairly diverse vocal parts that contribute to these waves of rage. A World in a Single Word offers us a moment of respite before returning to the fray, offering ever more alternation between violence and intoxicating calm, but the solid foundation remains and allows the band to move between different atmospheres, then Masquerade (The Algorithm) throws us into a world where pure violence reigns. The vocals respond to each other with a sometimes slightly theatrical approach, particularly on the clean vocals, but the band follows up with Amphibian to Chameleon, where the riffs mainly play on the heavy atmosphere thanks to the technicality of the patterns that fit together naturally throughout the song, then leave Phinal Jest to distill the last riffs of the album.
The least we can say is that Jester Majesty hits hard for a first album! Both musicians are excellent, giving Infinite Measure, Finite Existence an impressive and captivating complexity that we are not used to hearing in thrash!
85/100
