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Golden Dawn > Masquerade > Reviews
Golden Dawn - Masquerade

Fascinating blend of metal - 90%

OSheaman, August 10th, 2004

Golden Dawn is one of those bands that is really hard to classify because they seem to use a smattering of three shitloads of different styles in their music. Yet the end result is cohesive and forms a solid structure by which this excellent album is created.

At the very heart and soul of this band is a neo-classical foundation. Everything seems based around this ideal, and so it could be argued that Golden Dawn are one of the few neo-classical bands, especially since no other label put to them will accurately stick. The keyboards and guitars mixed in clean melodies suggest Power Metal tendencies, and yet it is not unusual for a Baroque passage on the keyboards to degenerate into a chaotic explosion of Black Metal complete with ferocious harsh vocals that counteract the clean vocals of earlier styles. The perfect example of how everything in this band is all rolled into one can be found in the first two songs, Silent Inferno and Doomsday Celebration, which alternate between Baroque keyboard melodies and intense Black Metal passages. Another interesting song is Alive and Immortal, both for the combination of Black, Power, and Speed metal which make up the song and for the different styles of vocals that show up throughout the number..

This band is fascinating to listen to, and if it can be argued that there is such a thing as "intelligent music," then this album certainly falls under the category. Recommended for anyone curious as to what other styles sound like, as well as anyone fascinated by the neo-classical roots of metal or by intelligent, thought-provoking music.