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MASQUERA DI FERRO
Reflection

Self-released (2014)
Rating: 5/10

The moniker of this Greek band roughly translates as “The Man In The Iron Mask”, but as melodic metal goes, this debut six-track release lacks any sort of iron-like quality.

Masquera Di Ferro is a quintet formed in 2012, the current line-up coming together in 2013. The band features vocalist Tasos Psilovasilopoulos (vocals), the twin guitar team of Fanis Badas and Kostas Birbutsakis, bassist Teo Karalis and drummer Panos Thoidis.

Reflection is an album that has some nice touches to its overall content; more so in that the melodies are extremely catchy, with ‘Alive’ boasting a pop-rock edge and having more in common at times with Carlos Santana’s sizzling style of rock mixed with traditional metal elements. For all of his effort however, Psilovasilopoulos is not the greatest vocalist you’ll hear this year. Oddly, his vocals seem more suited to an 80s new romantic band in that they have a gothic, stone-faced bellow about them. While it adds a smoky air to proceedings there is a distinct lack of fire, despite some strong guitar work.

Opener ‘Angel Of Fire’ is similarly simple but offers an extra spice of drive, mainly in the guitar area. It kicks off as a vintage slab of galloping metal but doesn’t benefit from the less convincing throat exercises of Psilovasilopoulos, although it’s not the worst track I’ve heard as the singer bemoans, “I just wanna be an angel of fire, livin’ on the edge”. It’ll take a lot for him to persuade me of this plight, however!

‘Doberman’ is probably the heaviest track on the opus; it comes via a weighty drum plod and chunky riff, but the tune cries out for a fleshier throat to rip it to shreds. Instead, Psilovasilopoulos offers the usual darkly-clad warble, but in spite of its flaws, it’s the ideal track to bolster the opus. It’s here where all of the members seem to unite, and again the guitar work is to be commended.

The album boasts another flurry of cuts, the first of these being the sneaky ‘Final Release’ which is more of a standard rock ’n’ roll groover. Then there’s ‘La Maschera Di Ferro’, a six-minute instrumental which comes complete with a film soundtrack-type intro before transforming into a traditional metal stomp.

The album also showcases the title track, which is again made all the more sturdier by the impressive drum kick and the sizzling leads. The leads take us back to metal’s heyday, but you just know what is coming as Psilovasilopoulos echoes, “Every time that you feel like a bird in a cage, Full of rage on a stage of broken souls, You cannot see the light what you see is a fade, A reflection of what human made”. I haven’t a clue what he’s going on about, but remain thankful for the fiery guitars which litter this opus because if it were not for them, I would have lost interest aeons ago.

Reflection is an average metal record, and the grade must reflect this.

Neil Arnold

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