Review de
OVERCOMING ANGER na RIFF MAGAZINE:
http://www.riff-mag.com/reviews/cd-reviews/5461-masque-of-innocenceBand: Masque Of Innocence
Album: Overcoming Anger
Label: Self-released
Tracks: 8
Release Date: October 2011
Lenght: 33' 39"
Riff Score: 7.5/10
Masque Of Innocence have finally released their debut album after 14 years of existence. For those familiar with their early demo this album must come as a bit a shock, since its sonority is very different from those days. Despite that they manage to prove that they’ve aged well and are now a very mature band.The album starts bombastically with “Wrath”, and for a moment I thought I was listening to a new album by Portuguese underground legends Sacred Sin. That was just a thought as I’m presented with Marco’s hellish vocal delivery, which ranges from deep growls to high-pitched shrieks, and shows a bit of the band’s influence on them. The song is pretty cool with a groovey rhythm and pounding drums, and the vocal delivery is quite interesting. The leads at the end of the music show a bit of the old form of the band, by being very melodic and rooted in the more gothic and doomy sounds that many Portuguese bands from the early nineties tended to privilege.
No stopping here and a great transition into “Vanity”, which again shows their early influences by being one of the more melodic songs in the album, with very good guitar work. It’s also the shortest track and it proves to be a very effective song to bang your head, with some good drum fills. The album keeps pushing forward like a well oiled machine as the next song “Gluttony” is an unrelenting piece of groovey death metal with some faster moments and again interesting lead work. Both guitar players do a good job of complementing each other and the breakdown in the end before the solo has one really catchy riff, one that clearly sticks in your ear. If you’ve been paying attention to the names of the songs you’ll realize that they are named after mortal sins, and in fact the whole album revolves around that concept. It features eight tracks with each one being named after the seven deadly sins, the exception being the last one which is appropriately named “I Am Sin”. Indeed an interesting concept for a death metal album.
The album has somewhat of a formulaic songwriting, with songs beginning fast and then going into a groovey mid-tempo rhythm before the leads take the front. Nevertheless this doesn’t mean that the album is by any means boring, as there are enough riffs and lead work to keep you interested. The vocal approach also gives some variety to the record, and the fact that they keep it short and focused makes for eight consistently good songs, that get more and more familiar and enticing with each spin. As the songs all follow the same pattern there aren’t any standout tracks that I can mention, however they all share the same level of quality. The band has managed to create a consistent album that flows very naturally and never bores you in the process. I can also say that where the band really excels is in their ability to shift tempo in the songs as some of the more mid-tempo moments in the album are very interesting!
This is an independent album that’s been produced by the band themselves, and it shows that the efforts and sacrifices they had to make in order to accomplish it were worth their price. The band presents themselves here at a very mature stage in their careers, with all ideas well defined and their heads focused on delivering quality music. The production is very professional and you can even hear the bass, although it serves purely as a rhythm instrument and never goes outside its usual spectrum. The drums sound good but the cymbals could be a bit higher in the mix and the guitars have a great sound. The vocals never overpower the instruments and that’s always a good thing. If you like the old school death metal scene from Portugal, and bands like Sacred Sin or Malevolence with a more modern edge and better production values, then this is a very interesting album for you to dwell upon. It may be the band’s first full-length record but it shows a band that knows exactly what they want to do and they execute it flawlessly. I for one was catch off guard when this one hit my lap, but I can truthfully say that it was a pleasant surprise and it’s definitely a work with enough quality to propel the band to higher flights. I for one hope that the endurance they’ve shown during the past 14 years doesn’t falter now, and that we can continue to see more works from them in the future.
Review by Júlio Valada
