|  Comments:
Sweden’s Masqerade offers up their fourth release since their
formation in 1988, with In Disguise, which is definitely
one of the year’s biggest surprises, especially to those who
are unfamiliar with the band’s history.
Masquerade’s
sound perfectly melds melodic metal and hard rock, with hints of
Europe, XYZ, and TNT, especially on the song “Running Out
of Time, but that comes later. The comparisons don’t only
surface because of vocalist Tony Johansson’s unique ability
to sing in a variety of ways; using both the high end and low end
of his range, but also because the band is not afraid to show their
influences.
The
first song, “Main Attraction,” starts with sharp riffing,
heavy bass and adroit drumming. While the band looks as if they’d
be a mellower brand of rock, this is metal. Johansson says that
the song is about the “moments of sexual omnipotence one can
experience meeting a match at the right moment. It’s about
pure and immediate lust,” he said. It doesn’t get more
metal than that. The solo here is one of the fastest on the CD,
but it’s the riffing that carries things along. This is one
of the strongest songs on the disk.
The next track, “Alone Again,” is more mid-tempo, highlighting
the bass by Henrik Lundberg and drumming by Marko Gronholm. On the
high notes, Johansson sounds somewhat like Terry Ilous here, and
like all good singers, he keeps the vibrato in check. This is more
of the “pop” side of Masquerade.
When
the band does decide to slow things down on “In Your Eyes,”
you begin to understand Masquerade’s multifaceted musicianship,
both on instruments and vocals. “In Your Eyes,” has
a 1980s power ballad sensibility to it, somewhat like Loverboy,
and “takes up the eternal issue of finding the perfect love,”
Johansson once again impresses.
The
best song on In Disguise is “Running Out of Time.” Here,
guitarist Ulf Andersson takes over the vocal duties on the chorus,
which makes for a subtle and effective change of pace. But, if you
like the band TNT, and especially the song “Intuition,”
well you’ll hear it re-enacted during the chorus. If you match
up Johansson singing “A dream so alive and so strong,”
to Harnell singing “When soldiers of fortune, take your mind,”
they are pretty dang close.
“Damn
You Too,” might be the musically heaviest song here because
it just rips. It’s heavy, loud, and yet, you will be able
hear something akin to Europe. This song is draped with attitude
as well, and you’ll find yourself singing along with the repetition
of “damn you too, damn you too!”
The
album, about 53 minutes in length, closes things out with “Wash
Me Clean.” While earlier, you heard vocals reminiscent of
the ‘80s, this is an updated version of the Masquerade sound,
an edgier, less melodic yet still effective, style. The guitar solo
here is noisy, sort of drawn out and ominous, exactly what the song
calls for. It’s a great ending to a great album.
Masquerade
recently inked a distribution deal with Century Media, paving the
way for even bigger things. For those who like melodic metal that
leans more towards “metal” than “melodic,”
Masquerade is your band. Definitely pick up this CD.
http://www.masqueradetheband.com/
http://www.sorcerystudios.com
|
