Death
of the Red Masque (2001)
The Red Masque is a fledgling avant-progressive band from Philadelphia
that, while bearing influences from Rock-In-Opposition, Zeuhl
and King Crimson's more experimental moments, also introduces
more surprising traits such as semi-gothic atmospheres and a
biting metallic undercurrent. The Death of the Red
Masque is a promising debut release from the group, serving
as a statement of intent by means of their unique approach,
as well as hinting at a well of brilliance smoldering just beneath
the surface. The music is heavily angular, aggressive
and dark, highlighted by the stark, haunting delivery of vocalist
Lynette Shelley, and complemented by a churning, forceful musical
backdrop; punctual, repetitive bass and drum rhythms along with
walls of searing guitar that float across the mix.
Certainly,
being the band's first release, there are some areas that keep
this from being completely solid, but the important thing is
that the group has a idiosyncratic, experimental approach that
will undoubtedly bear fruit in the future. Firstly, the
album is rather short, and while the two composed pieces are
enjoyable, I would gladly have sacrificed the ten minute improv
for the opportunity of hearing another full piece. In
addition, compositionally speaking, The Red Masque lack the
kind of dynamic, sophisticated approach of bands like Thinking
Plague, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic or Henry Cow, fans of which
will probably make up much of the band's potential audience.
By that I mean that my impression is that the band comes from
more of a "rock" angle as opposed to the base of 20th century
classical, heavily composed experimentation and tonal and rhythmic
oddity that makes those other bands so damn invigorating.
Rather, The Red Masque's music seems to begin as rock songs,
with "noisier" sensibilities overlaid upon the basic structure,
such as grating guitar or Shelley's haunting voice, rather than
evoking dissonance or experimentation by the laying of the notes
in and of themselves. That said, the approach works from
time to time, as closer "A Moon Falls" illustrates. Here,
the band band builds to a series of melodic climaxes that essentially
represent the emotional peaks of the release. Great stuff.
For me, the aforementioned "Ended Ways" improvisational piece
does not work as well, generally droning, abstract sounds that
lack a sense of any kind of instrumental interplay. That
could work in the context of a full length, but for a short
release such as this I'd rather hear a proper composition.
Death
of the Red Masque is not in the same league as many of the
other phenomenal avant-progressive albums of the last few years,
though for a debut EP release, it is promising. A little
tightening up and a focus on arrangements while retaining the
intense Mardi-Gras-Gone-To-Hell atmospheric and spatial talents
of the band could result in a very solid full length album in
the near future. - Greg Northrup [November 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Victoria
and the Haruspex (2002)
Victoria
and the Haruspex,
the sophomore effort from the Red Masque sees the band mining
the same dark and eerie territory as explored on their debut
EP. Mixing the rock end of the spectrum from a mid period King
Crimson angle - heavy bass, biting guitar, thundering percussion
and a penchant for improv - with the dark and brooding 20th
century classical aesthetic of a Univers Zero, the Red Masque
is obviously not afraid to explore the dissonant and discordant
end of the spectrum. While the band musters up some convincing
performances, they fail to be as compelling as some of their
influences. While there are some excellent passages in the music,
overall it suffers from an unevenness that plagues a good deal
of it. Most notable is the opening improv, "Haruspex", which
meanders around until hitting a good groove, and then is lost
again, only to hit another high point again in a few minutes
before again losing direction. The recording quality impacts
this also, as a lot of the subtlety is lost in a muddy mix.
On the other hand, "Birdbrain" is a much more focused piece,
building to some frenetic instrumental parts and driven by the
powerful vocals in the others. This is a good example of how
the band utilizes a much more concise structure to accentuate
their dynamic strengths. "Afterloss" is an acoustic based piece,
taking on a somewhat folky and medieval tinge while still playing
up the dark atmosphere. This comes off as the band's most unique
piece, and it would be interesting to see if they pursue this
direction more in the future, possibly integrating it into the
more rock based songs.
While not
completely successful, there is a definite maturation from the
band's debut, and encouraging signs that they can pull off something
bigger down the road. To be fair, the band has gone through
several lineup changes in the last year, and would easily benefit
from a stable lineup that can gel together, rather than explore
disparate ideas. -
Mike Prete [September 2002]
