Arcturus – La Masquerade Infernale – Review

Arcturus

La Masquerade Infernale (Music for Nations/Misanthropy)
by Scott Hefflon

This “black metal” supergroup just keeps getting weirder! I mean, many of us into metal have always had a thing for the madness of classical music, and while we jumped for joy (or at least stopped smashing things and burning buildings) when symphonic black metal reared its majestic head, eventually, it became the Goth of metal, meaning it was fashion and pseudo-depth over actual wrist-slashing lunacy. Yet Arcturus, over the years, has stepped in, stepped over, and are still leading the pack with La Masquerade Infernale, a carnival of influences and studio trickery sure to give nightmares to any and all who listen. And that’s quite a feat, seeing as many of us listen to Dimmu Borgir, Borknagar, Therion, and many, many more the way we used to AC/DC or Led Zeppelin. The bar has been raised, the initial shock value is little more jolting than a nine volt on the tongue, and there’s a dare on the lips of black metal junkies: Impress me!

Where once they shredded and ripped, rejoicing open wounds and fingerpainting symbols in blood upon the walls of the mind, Arcturus now not only gallop on steeds whose sweat turns to fog in the wintry air, they trip backwards over loops of subtle piano tinklings, whoop like carnival barkers, and accompany angelic choirs with anvil slams like few since Celtic Frost. And the wind-down of “The Chaos Path” actually has breakbeats! As in, like, electro! I can think of few other bands who can bury themselves in worm-infested dirt, offer somber hymns to the moon-drenched night, not to mention chainsaw trees with a sound with such teeth, and use breakbeats without being lynched. A new depth of pomp and horror has been discovered, kids.
(Dutch East: PO Box 738 Syosset, NY 11791)