La Masquerade Infernale

La Masquerade Infernale
Studio album by
Arcturus
Released27 October 1997
RecordedDecember 1996 – May 1997
StudioJester Studio
GenresProgressive metal, avant-garde metal, symphonic metal
Length45:12
LabelsMusic for Nations, Misanthropy; Candlelight (reissue)
ProducersKristoffer Rygg, Knut M. Valle
Arcturus chronology
Aspera Hiems Symfonia
(1996)		 La Masquerade Infernale
(1997)		 Disguised Masters
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[1]
Chronicles of Chaos10/10[2]
Kerrang!StarStarStar[3]

La Masquerade Infernale is the second studio album by Norwegian avant-garde metal band Arcturus. Released by Misanthropy Records in 1997, the album marks a change from the slow, nature-influenced symphonic black metal of their debut Aspera Hiems Symfonia. Most of the songs revolve around the themes of theatre, literature, and Satan. The screams characteristic of black metal utilized by Kristoffer Rygg on Aspera are replaced by a gruff, low-toned, clean vocal style.[1] The album also features operatic singing and bizarre high-pitched singing from guest vocalist Simen Hestnæs, who nine years later would replace Rygg as the band's frontman. It was reissued by Candlelight Records in 2003.

In 2016, Metal Hammer listed it as among the greatest black metal releases of the 1990s.[4] In 2021, it was elected by the same publication as the 12th-best symphonic metal album of all time.[5]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Master of Disguise"6:42
2."Ad Astra"7:40
3."The Chaos Path"5:33
4."La Masquerade Infernale" (instrumental)2:00
5."Alone"4:39
6."The Throne of Tragedy"6:33
7."Painting My Horror"5:59
8."Of Nails and Sinners"6:06
Total length:45:12
  • The album is actually 1:27 longer than listed due to the hidden track at the beginning of "Master of Disguise".
  • The lyrics of "Alone" are taken from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe.
  • "The Throne of Tragedy" is divided into 66 parts. At the end of the track, the sub-track counter will have increased to 66, making the display show the number 666.

Personnel

Arcturus
Additional musicians
  • Hans Josef Groh – cello
  • Dorthe Dreier – viola
  • Vegard Johnsen – violin
  • Svein Haugen – double bass
  • Simen Hestnæs – vocals on "The Chaos Path", backing vocals on "Master of Disguise" and "Painting My Horror"
  • Carl August Tidemann – lead guitar on "Ad Astra" and "Of Nails And Sinners"
  • Idun Felberg – cornet on "Ad Astra"
  • Erik Olivier Lancelot – flute on "Ad Astra"
Other credits
  • Børge Finstad – mixing
  • Pål Klåstad – technician, engineering (strings)
  • Marius Bodin – engineering (drums)
  • Gandalf Stryke – mastering

References

  1. 1 2 https://www.allmusic.com/album/r376690
  2. ↑ Schwarz, Paul (14 April 1998). "CoC: Arcturus – La Masquerade Infernale : Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Cooper, James (25 October 1997). "Albums". Kerrang!. No. 671. UK: EMAP. p. 45.
  4. ↑ Pattersonpublished, Dayal (20 July 2016). "20 of the best black metal albums from the 1990s". Louder. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Davies, Hywel; Dome, Malcolm; Goodman, Eleanor; Chantler, Chris; Gordon, Connie; Grady, Spencer; Rees, Adam; Selzer, Jonathan (17 November 2021). "The 25 best symphonic metal albums". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.