Taipei Metal

Review: Black Masquerade - Spread Your Wings

Spread Your Wings was Black Masquerade’s first full-length album, released in 2005, and have since followed with 2007’s Holy and Bright. The Japanese five-piece was founded in 2001, and have been pounding out power metal with traditional 80s metal elements ever since. It’s a blend of bands such as Hammerfall or Gamma Ray and a little bit of Iron Maiden. Black Masquerade plays very upbeat power metal in the German style, complete with over the top falsetto vocals that have become the genre standard. The lyrics border on the comical at times, such as the line “Life isn’t all beer and Skittles” from “The Guardian.” Whether it’s tongue in cheek or not is up to you to decide, but it can be forgiven as English is not their first language.

The keyboards, compliments of Kayo Ikeda, are mostly understated, and guitarist Yoshiiro Nitta has some fleet fret work on the solos. But it’s nothing surprising, and seems interchangeable with any other power metal band. Still, the musicianship is impressive nonetheless. There are hints of originality at times. The beginning of “Hero of Darkness” almost has a pop punk feel to it before it is overwhelmed by the typical power metal lead-in solo, subsequent cavalry rhythm and double leads. Vocalist Takashi Sakaguchi has a strong voice, but not overpowering. But he isn’t punching above his weight either, and is quite comfortable in his range. The only real gripe with this disc is that it has three instrumental tracks, a bit much for a ten-track CD, and it ends on an instrumental, which is a bit of an anticlimactic letdown.

Black Masquerade are clearly skilled songwriters and musicians, and fans of power metal will enjoy it, but it lacks that crossover appeal. Nevertheless, non-fans can at least appreciate the skill and musicianship involved. Just don’t expect any new twists or innovation, it’s tried and true metal, an homage to all that came before. They are not stuck in the past necessarily, but they are reveling in it, and there’s nothing wrong with a little shameless reflection sometimes.