Review: Subterranean Masquerade – Mountain Fever

Style: progressive folk rock/metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Sam
Country: Israel
Release date: 14 May, 2021

Back in 2019 I went into a concert blindly. Orphaned Land was headlining a tour through Europe, and they were supported by Subterranean Masquerade. Both were bands I had been interested in checking out, so the curious me went to a concert. I was absolutely flabbergasted by the energy of both bands, but what especially stood out to me was Subterranean Masquerade singer Davidavi Dolev (or ‘Vidi’ as he prefers to call himself). He was everywhere on stage! He was dancing and doing all sorts of crazy acrobatics. I expected metal, but their music was actually very melodic and very danceable! I went crazy during that show. I had no idea what my body was doing (it probably looked ridiculous), but I didn’t care. Apparently I had so much energy Vidi found it worthy to single me out and call me ‘Marathon Man’ during the show (sorry but that’s my dad, he’s already at 130 marathons or whatever nonsense). We chatted a bit afterwards and added each other on Facebook. I got not just two new favorite bands from the show, but also a friend! Two years later he was kind enough to send me a promo of their new album, so here we are, and I couldn’t be happier, because this album fucks.

The album opens in a very typical fashion for the band with very folky percussion and acoustics. It then goes into a very trademark Tomer Pink riff. The first verse also sounds a lot still like something that could have appeared on Vagabond, but it’s with the chorus that the differences start becoming apparent. Vidi is a much more theatrical presence vocally than Kjetil Nordhus (from Green Carnation) ever was, and his dramatic flair really brings the music to live more. Subterranean Masquerade is a very fun, upbeat, very eclectic band, and Vidi’s more expressive delivery really adds to the versatility of their sound. He’s not dramatic in a non-stop vibrato power metal way, but rather akin to Daniel Gildenlow of Pain of Salvation in that he really puts his everything into each emotion. I do kinda miss Kjetil’s guttural vocals, but Vidi’s madman screams are highly entertaining as well and just as expressive as his other vocals.

The music is just as varied as Vidi’s vocals. Some songs make you wanna dance, others feel like a Broadway musical, and others connect on a very visceral emotional level. Or, in some cases, all in the same song. And everything’s coated in a delicious layer of Israeli folk music in a completely natural way, giving a ton of personality to the music. They use a couple of horn instruments as well, and frequently use effects on the guitars to give them a very folky feel. It’s a generally mellow album, but the band isn’t shy to bring out parts of near death metal intensity levels. What’s impressive about it for me is how natural it all sounds. Not once does it feel avant-garde for the sake of it. The songwriting is just incredibly tight. All these elements are just natural parts of the band’s sound, and if you took any of them away it would feel as if there was something missing. It’s very rare that I find a band that can mesh so many different sounds into something entirely cohesive and unique.

An issue which heavily plagued the last two albums The Great Bazaar and Vagabond was how inconsistent they tended to be, trading tracks of brilliance with less interesting ones that didn’t add much new to the table. I’m happy to report that that issue has thoroughly been resolved with Mountain Fever. Each track has a distinct personality with plenty of memorable moments to make it easy to distinguish between them. I can easily cite an amazing moment for every song. It’s a real feat. They all tell a story individually, but they also feel interconnected. I don’t have a lyric sheet (not that it’d matter anyway – I suck at poetry), but the album feels like a big journey.

I don’t think there’s much more I can add to this review besides diving into the individual tracks, but I don’t like doing that too much as it spoils too much. The production is excellent of course, which is to be expected for a group this talented. I’m incredibly impressed with this album. It’s one of the most fun prog metal albums I’ve heard in quite some time. If you ever get the opportunity to see this band live in a post-covid world, absolutely do not miss the opportunity, because the energy of this band is just next level. In the meantime though, Mountain Fever is an excellent replacement drug. Get on it!

Recommended tracks: Diaspora, My Love; Inwards, Ya Shema Evyonecha, Mangata
Recommended for fans of: Orphaned Land, Pain of Salvation, Haken, OMB, Cheeto’s Magazine
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Laser’s Edge – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Subterranean Masquerade is:
– Davidavi Dolev (vocals)
– Tomer Pink (guitars)
– Omer Fishbein (guitars)
– Golan Farhi (bass)
– Jonathan Amar (drums)
– Shai Yallin (keyboard)