THE MASQUERADE OVERTURE

This is an excellent album, but according to progarchives, I cannot rate it higher than a three. The definition of four star is 'excellent addition to any prog rock music collection', and while this is an excellent album, it is not much of an addition (perhaps more of an addendum).

What you will be getting with Masquerade Overture is something that you've probably heard before. What we have here is excellent, well played theatrical music, with excellent playing by all members of the bands and great singing. But one cannot listen to this album and be unaware of their influences. Some of the songs clearly make me think of '80s Marillion ... and I've only heard Misplaced Childhood so far. At the end of the third track, I expected to hear Fish singing "And the man in the mirror has sad eyes", it was so reminiscent. Another part that sounds like a kickback is the end of the last song, Masters of Illusion. The female backing vocals sound extremely similar to those used by Pink Floyd.

Alright, so I have explained why I don't consider this album an 'addition' as much as an 'addendum'. So what makes it excellent? The song quality here is very high. Ranging from outright operatic (The Masquerade Overture) to epic (Masters of Illusion), the album never really has a dull moment. My personal favorites would be Paintbox, Guardian of my Soul, and Masters of Illusion, each which manages to effectively convey the intended emotions in a catchy manner.

If you are looking for a four star album to spend your hard earned cash on, this could still be the album for you if you love album art. This album is a stunning joy to look at, and from what I've seen, most of Pendragon's albums are. The cover could be almost considered Progressive Album Art, for each time I look at it, I notice some detail or tidbit that I missed in previous examinations (which is one of my favorite features of prog rock).

As a final note, I got the edition with The Last Man On Earth (Live) as a bonus track, and now I know I need to pick up the Window of Life as well. I imagine it would be rated similarly.