LA MASQUERADE INFERNALE

As a fan of avant-garde metal, it was probably inevitable that I'd find my way to Arcturus' MASQUERADE INFERNALE. This album has a bit of a legendary place in the metal mythology, but sadly the music itself really doesn't match the reputation. On paper, this should be great with Garm's vocals and a Bunglesque carnival fetish added to a black metal ethic. Sounds like a fun ride. But like too many vampire stories, the affectations overcome the story and the camp becomes cartoonish. It seems like the band is trying too hard to be wierd and not concentrating enough on the fundamentals of the songs.

All the trappings are here, with Garm attempting Boris Karloff in the opera but instead singing out of tune much of the time. The organs are heavily reverbed and spooky, and various effects drench virtually every instrument. The guest vocals on the opening track and "The Chaos Path" are the best on the album. But the actual riffs are uninspired, the melodies monotonous, and songwriting virtually nonexistent. In fact, I don't think there's a single line I could sing back to you off this album and only a few instrumental parts that stick with me.

Despite all of the vocals being sung cleanly, I really don't have any idea what these guys are singing about. Supposedly it's sorta kinda Satanic (the idea of which turns me off) but there's nothing that feels truly dangerous to me. Contrast this to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's "Of Natural History" which I think has some very similar intentions at its core, but is more intelligent, more musically daring, enjoys better songwriting, and at places really scares the crap out of me.

I actually like Ulver quite a bit in all of its different sounds. Garm's ear is never perfect, but it's never as bad as it is here. I've tried so many times to get into this. But it just isn't that good.

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