(TheBRHM.com) Let’s get into some more recent rock for a moment here with Canadian axe-wielder Max Georgiev and his 2025 EP Believe In You. First, for those unfamiliar with Georgiev, we’ll look at his career in music.
Who is Max Georgiev?
Hailing from Quebec, Max Georgiev is a veteran guitarist who can also get the job done on bass and as a background singer. I’m most familiar with Georgiev’s work in the band Falling in Reverse where he had a lengthy run with the act from 2018 until 2024.
However, checking out his musical career prior to Falling in Review shows work with talent or working on a projects involving noted musicians and bands such as Firewind leader and guitarist Gus G (formerly of Ozzy Osbourne) and Arch Enemy’s former lead singer and fellow Canadian rocker Alissa White-Gluz. His guitar work is rooted heavily in the hard and heavy end of rock.
Joining Georgiev on this release are Jaycee Clark (vocals, Blank Era), Johnny Mele (drums, formerly of Falling in Reverse), and Gabriel Connor (bass). Production is handled by Kile Odell, who has also worked with Papa Roach and recently Blank Era.
Since this is our first EP review, we’ll go into each track on this release and see what he’s got going on here.
Believe In You EP
We’ve got a nice, tidy three tracks on this EP with the titular track “Believe In You” kicking things off.
“Believe in You”
Now, I’d actually like to do the title track last because it also features a well-shot music video showcasing Georgiev and his new act. However, it’s the first track you’ll hear and it’s definitely the strongest track of the three.
“Believe In You” has the band’s strings and percussion firing on all cylinders. Of course, Max Georgiev has to deliver the goods performance-wise since it’s his band but there are no slouches here. Vocalist Jaycee Clark really impressed me on this track and I had to check out her work with her own act Blank Era.
Her singing along with the energetic performance of the band on this track really pushed this track to being the best on the EP. It took perhaps three listens of the EP (again, three tracks so it wasn’t a trek or anything) for me to decide between “Believe In You” and the third track, “Once Called Home”.
“Untouchable”
The second track here is “Untouchable”, a solid track that is something of a blend between the two songs it’s sandwiched between. This is a track that I could easily see in one of the WWE’s premium live events’ highlight packages. It has that energy that the company likes for some of its packages where they only play a portion of the song before promoting it or as a the promotional theme while reading the card. The same goes for the title track.
Overall, it’s not a track to skip but you have a banger before it and a good album closer. One thing it has over the next entry is the energy and tempo. It simply goes harder and that’s right up my alley.
“Once Called Home”
For a potential full-length release, “Once Called Home” would be a very strong track in that position. It doesn’t go as hard as the previous two tracks but it could definitely close out an album or at least kick off the second half of an album.
Clark gives a good vocal performance here and we get some spotlighting guitar action from Max Georgiev. However, it could’ve used a little more of Max’s guitar magic in it. Then again, it would have to be a longer song for that and either “Believe In You” or “Unbreakable” would make better use of an extra minute or so.
In short, it’s another good pick for this single.
Verdict
When you have a single that features different songs and not multiple versions of one song, you’re expecting the artist or band to put their best foot forward. Or least deliver a good showing.
Georgiev and the gang do just that with Believe In You. The songs might sound like something you’ve heard before or a combination of songs and bands you’ve heard already but the guitars, drums, and the singer all deliver something that makes me anticipate a full release.
I actually want to know what else Max and the crew have cooking, so the EP did its job. Now, I could’ve done with some extra solos from Max on the first and third songs, I really liked what I was hearing. If not extra solos, lengthier ones. Clark’s singing wowed me enough to check out her previous projects, both Connor and Mele hold it down on bass and drums respectively.
All around, this single was worth a listen and a couple replays until Georgiev drops some new stuff. I’m giving “Strongest Track” honors to “Believe In You”. It’s a banger and has both album-carrying power and soundtrack potential.
Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.