Originally written by Alex de Moller.
Oh the empirical flavors of dying daffodils in the wind! Cry havoc ye dogs of war… If not… just…cry. The end is near! Seriously… It is!
There are much cheaper ways of experiencing Subterranean Masquerade than buying their meager 2 track EP, Temporary Psychotic State. Try barbiturates. Snort Southern Comfort. Try both at once or even better… try Opeth.
I can’t help but feel that this collective effort from members of Agalloch, November’s Doom and Epoch of Unlight is a tad overambitious. With an oh so gentle mixture of gloomy atmospherics, detuned violins and husky vocals driven on by some occasional double kicking, Subterranean Masquerade manage to produce a redneck influenced opus that promises to make every listener an opium fiend with limited exposure.
Cheer up. Life really ain’t that bad.
As the title track, “Temporary Psychotic State” begins its swampy descent, you’re hit with just about everything the band can offer in the first two minutes. I’ll give them one thing, the musicianship is way above the breadline. The song is almost saturated with samples, whispering and a variety of vocal styles ranging from the most melodic of laments to the most diabolical growling. The constant fiddling (no pun intended) becomes quite tedious as it vomits all over the already jam packed arrangements, so-called riffs and the incessant moaning of November’s Doom frontman Paul Kuhr. The notes might be different, but the transition to “Observation Through Metamorphisis” is a real nonevent. Same story: Samples, Violins, Moaning, deep psychological reference, fadeout. Deep… Ankle-Deep.
It’s eclectic, extravagant and avantgarde but Subterranean Masquerade are not a metal band and do not appeal to me OR my future hangover. Save yourself a 12 minute beating from these ivory-tower music intellectuals. Buy Damnation.
