Arcturus
La Masquerade Infernale

THE REVIEW

"With nails that sting My hands - They grow passionate on a lie.
But You know the veracious one was I"

It is with these words that "La Masquerade infernale" closes, as a foreshadowing, beyond the concept directly inspired by Faust, of someone who already knows they are Right. Aware of having written a fundamental chapter in the realm of "metal."
Yes, because with this second album, Arcturus definitively distance themselves from any previously explored sonic form, developing beyond imagination the already extraordinary insights present in their first album and fully hitting the target previously missed (by a small margin) by Ved Buens Ende in "written in waters."

Here we go beyond genres. Here we finally speak of "avant-garde." Many have tried over the years, but few, very few, have succeeded! Throughout the album's duration, a new atmosphere is breathed. The majesty of Sverd's keyboards blends with Garm's singing, practically operatic (and strictly clean!), in a mystical and theatrical atmosphere, unique, thrilling, and dark! And this, in my opinion, is the key to interpreting the entire album. The progressive and (Black) metal as revisited through a theatrical-operatic lens. Spanning from minimalist electronic inserts like in the poignant "Ad astra" to explosions of rage like in "The Chaos Path" or "Alone," the album is simply an immense and continuous succession of memorable parts. And if that weren't enough... if by any chance you are now wondering how the band is "technically," you just need to know that behind the drums sits a certain Hellhammer, here authoring unimaginable parts for refinement and technique. Meanwhile, the guitar of Carl August Tidemann (now in Winds) engages in advanced and never banal riffing, sometimes leaving space for solos that are simply inhuman but always full of feeling. In short, it seems pointless to continue.

If you don't have it, and you're not crazy, take advantage of the recent reissue by Candlelight. As far as I'm concerned, I'll waste just one last word to seal everything: Masterpiece!