seth majka - wake to mourning

Seth Majka

Wake To Mourning
Crystal Authentic Recordings

3.1 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Hailing from Bangor, Maine Seth Majka is a singer/songwriter who has released three full-length albums and an EP in a span of four years. His latest is a DIY effort entitled Wake to Mourning that has traces of sludge metal, 90’s alternative rock, hard rock and even boy band pop. The album contains thirteen songs that don’t always coalesce and are often held back by the production. Majka doesn't exactly have a voice that will be winning any singing competition and the production doesn't help as his voice barely has any treatment. That being said Majka puts his heart into his singing and the songs, which is ultimately his best asset.

The album opens with an 80’s sounding metal song that is Majka's attempt at being indignant. He combines drums, distorted guitar and bass while singing “No! You can’t shut me up / Yo can’t shut me down / I am my own machine.” It’s obvious from the song that Majka wants to be heard.

“Break You Down” contains a Queen Of the Stone Age style guitar that is backed by synthetic strings. It’s a hard rocker that has Majka screaming at the top of lungs. “Pegasus Wings” is a deviation from the first two songs in that it contains clean guitars and is comparably to a band like 30 seconds to Mars. It’s more pop oriented and has more commercial qualities than a lot of the other material on the album. “Rabid Dogs,” “Stranger To Me”  and “Nothing”  revert back to hard rock with distorted guitars.

I have no problem with artist’s meshing genres and getting out of their comfort zone but “Only Have One Chance” is so random I was wondering if this was Majka’s idea of a joke. The song has a striking resemblance to a song you would have heard from a boy band in the mid to late 90’s. Even the lyrics reek from any number of over the top songs you may have heard from the Backstreet Boys. He sings “You only have one chance / You only have one try / You only have one dance / To make it all right” and “Give her your all / Give her your best / Go and be her last first kiss.” 

“You Can’t Escape” rocks out hard in a Linkin Park kind of way while “Mother” is straight up commercial pop. Majka closes with a melancholy song called “More Than This,” which again sounds like a song from a boy band.

To enjoy Wake to Mourning it is best to think of it as a collection of singles. If you do that there are a couple of decent songs here you should be able to appreciate. 

Become A Fan

bandcamp