Israeli based multinational band SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE was formed in the second half of the 1990’s, and unless my information is false they were originally based in the US. Following an initial studio album in 2005 the band disappeared from sight for some time, but reappeared in 2014 with the single Home, which was subsequently expanded to an EP as a digital release. “The Great Bazaar” was released at the start of 2015 through Israel label Taklit Music, and is the band’s second full length production.
While based in Israel, it would appear that this band is a multinational entity, sporting members from several different nations. On the EP Home from 2014 this resulted in a fairly widespread sound to be explored, with exotic details from a possibly Middle East origin as something of an identity mark. That aspect has developed quite a bit in the year or so that have gone by between that EP and this album.
The compositions here do follow some rather similar patterns. Gentler and more delicate passages are paired off with sequences of a more powerful and intense nature, where the former sports regular vocals with a harmony and melody based mode of delivery while the latter fairly often are provided in a darker toned and more guttural tinged growl-oriented style. The more intense passages on this album are much closer aligned to regular progressive metal however, and the occasional extreme metal tinged instrument details found on the 2014 EP aren’t much of a feature this time around, although they do make a token one off appearance on concluding track Father & Son.
Instead this is a production that resides safely inside a regular progressive metal context, albeit with a few twists. Orchestral arrangements are used fairly liberally throughout, as careful supplemental backdrops as well as in roles of a more dominant nature in select sequences. The exotic, Middle Eastern tinged details are generally explored within these arrangements, but on this occasion they have a more Earthy expression, and at least to my ears with somewhat more of a klezmer tinged sound to them too. An additional aspect explored more in depth on this album are gentle, jazz-oriented interludes, not to the extent of being a prominent or dominant feature, but as a carefully used effect on select occasions adding depth and scope to the overall album experience.
The CD edition of this album comes with two bonus tracks, the A side and B side of the original single “Home”, both of which are quality additions to this album, but also creations that are subtly different in style, mood and atmosphere – as previously commented upon.
If you tend to enjoy progressive metal bands that adds elements from folk music and world music to their compositions alongside elements from symphonic classical music, then Subterranean Masquerade is a band you probably should inspect at some point, especially if you have an affection for other Israel based progressive metal bands that fits this general description.
My rating: 83/100
