SUBMASQ, previously known as Subterranean Masquerade, return with their seventh album and their first release on Willowtip Records. «Spirit Animal» comes out on September 18 and is essentially an autobiographical journey: trauma, addiction, bipolar disorder and collective memory, all passed through a constant search for identity and belonging.
Country: Israel
Genre: Progressive Metal
For fans of: Green Carnation, Orphaned Land, Devin Townsend
Nine tracks, about 42 minutes, with the ethnic instruments intertwining with progressive rock: «Cardamom», «Monuments», «Mechanical Prayers», «Calypso», «Anger», «Sanctified», «Uman Inshallah», «The Unlucky» and «Trust».
The band is made up of Davidavi «Vidi» Dolev on vocals, Tomer Pink and Or Shalev on guitars, Golan Farhi on bass, Yalon Shori on drums and Shai Yallin on keys, electronics and handpan, with Dima Kogan on live appearances. Among the guests, Ron «Bumblefoot» Thal stands out, playing the guitar solo on «Cardamom», while tablas, oud, bouzouki, violin, cello and percussion are also heard. The mix is signed by Adam Noble, known for work with Leprous and Katatonia.
Our take
SUBMASQ have a way of filling every second: almost everywhere there is something extra, an instrument, a percussion, a detail you discover on the second or third listen. «Anger» is the strongest point, with a chorus that really lifts and a performance from Vidi on the edge of theatre, while «Cardamom» opens the album in a way that wins you over immediately. «Monuments» continues with a nervous, unstable build, and «Trust» closes with a darker mood, strings and constant tempo changes.
The problem isn’t the execution, but the ideas underneath. The album is more direct and brighter than its predecessors, and that makes it easier to listen to, but at a cost: quite a few of the core riffs and melodies are simpler than the band has accustomed us to, and some moments — the disco passage in «Mechanical Prayers», the very clean chorus of «Calypso» — seem placed to grab the listener rather than to come naturally out of the composition.
It remains, though, an album that is comfortable to listen to again. The balance between the ethnic instruments and progressive metal holds, the production is clean and full, and the more conventional moments don’t spoil the overall picture. It isn’t their boldest album, but it is a worthwhile addition to a discography that rarely disappoints.
Find them
- Bandcamp: submasq.bandcamp.com/album/spirit-animal
- Site: submasq.net
- Label: Willowtip Records
See also: Epitaphe – III | Februus – Construction of Conflict
