For some reason, I never get my review quotes on album stickers. Today, friends, I’m determined to change that. I have come up with the album sticker of album stickers. A quotation for the ages. Seat yourself - get ready:
 

Subterranean Masquerade - wacky music. By wacky people, for wacky people.

Well, there it is! What do you think? Wouldn’t you buy an album with that sticker? I would, and it’s fully accurate, too. The list of credits for this album is almost too weighty to list, but don’t let the fact that you can read it below degrade my point: a lot of frickin’ people worked on this CD. Many of them are from other bands that you might know, but so confident am I in Subterranean Masquerade’s ability to stand alone, I’ll just say that you’ve probably heard the musicians before, and now they’re all in one group, putting their creativity to good use in my favoritest of all metal styles: wacky metal.

Wacky metal, as you may know, is genre of choice for crazies who, by all reasonable accounts, belong on medication and should not be making music. But somehow or other these people are able to express themselves with a painful clarity and articulation, thus transmitting their various psychoses to the listener, at least while the music plays.  Hence: this review, which is being written as I’m trapped in Subterranean Masquerade’s temporary psychotic state.

The songs cover a wide range of sounds, including Opeth-y acoustic guitar, dramatic vocals ala Garm on La Masquerade Infernale, female vocals, a violin, and a host of other wacky effects. See, kids, the effects are wacky, and that’s why this here music is known as wacky metal. If you dig Arcturus, Korovakill, Source of Tide, or Solefald, chances are you’ll find a lot to like about Subterranean Masquerade’s two song ep. The only downside is the ep’s 17 minute duration. However, the price is right ($8 for very replayable, high quality music), so check it out!
 

Track List:
1) Temporary Psychotic State (A recollection of where it all began)
2) Observation Through Metamorphosis

Subterranean Masquerade is:
Tomer Pink - guitars
Paul Kuhr - vocals
Jake DePolitte - guitars, spoken words
Tino LoSicco - drums, spoken words
Susan Naud - vocals
Ben Warren - keyboards and electronics
Bronwen Beecher - violin
Andy Winter - mellotron
Jason William Walton - spoken words

Subterranean Masquerade - Official Site:
http://www.submasq.com/

The End Records:
http://www.theendrecords.com/

07/13/04