It was in the fall of 1988 when this four piece unit found out that they together had the same visions of were to go with their musical direction, and Masquerade was established. This Swedish band has been compared with such bands as Whitesnake and Def Leppard. I think they started out sounding like TNT and Firehouse. But their sound evolved with each album.
MASQUERADE (1992, 2008)
ALIVE
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Line-up: Tony Johansson - Voices Thomas G:son - Guitars Marko Grönholm - Drums Henrik Lundberg - Bass
* - bonus live videos ** - bonus promo video |
I got this CD in a trade, not knowing what to expect. But man was I pleased with what I got. Music like this is just not made anymore. Melodic 80's metal is their sound. And Masquerade has to be one of the best bands in this genre. It doesn't get much better than songs like "Our Time Has Come". My only complaint is that there might be too many songs on the record. 2 or 3 less would have made the album even better. Tony's voice together with Thomas' guitar put this band in the elite club. Beautiful songs and great hooks! If you like TNT you're bound to love Masquerade. This debut-album is now pretty hard to come by, but luckily it was reissued in 2008, with 4 bonus multimedia tracks.
Killer tracks: Gimme All Your Loving, Our Time Has Come, All Night All Day
SURFACE OF PAIN (1994) METAL BLADE
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Line-up: Tony Yoanson - Voices Thomas G:son - Guitars Marco Tapani - Drums Henrik Lundberg - Bass |
The second album from the Swedes sees a matured band. They have become a tad more heavy, and 'Surface Of Pain' sees Masquerade creating a more unique sound. They no longer remind me of TNT. But it's still the melody that is the main focus. I prefer the sound they had on their first album, and this album gets too anonymous for me.
Killer tracks: Judas Kiss, State Of Grace, America
