Interview with Masquerade by Dave Wolff
According to your bio, Masquerade, founded in Greenville, South Carolina last year, aims to expand the definitions of metal. Especially in the interaction between the bass, drums, and guitars. Describe the origins of your development. Was it a collective decision?
What we are aiming to do is to expand the metal scene. We personally feel metal has become too uniform in recent years. Bands often try to replicate each other or stay set in one subgenre of metal. Our goal is to be able to produce albums that people have a hard time putting a label on, and yet have a stellar sound.
Describe the band's origins and how you decided to work together. Is there a significant number of artists seeking to form bands in Greenville, South Carolina?
The band actually started at a concert we went to. We all played instruments and had tossed around the idea of making a band but never jumped on it. Anyway, we went to this concert to see a band we all really liked. We got there, the opener went on, and let me tell you, it was one of the worst things we have ever heard. We ended up leaving the concert, and on the way home one of us said, we can totally play better than that. One of the other guys said "fuck it, we are doing it". And that was it.
Metal has evolved since the 1990s, and more bands than ever are attempting to widen their horizons by introducing sounds into their songwriting. What is Masquerade doing to stand out in your country and the metal industry in general?
One of the main things we are doing is not being afraid to venture out of 4/4 time (which is pretty much the standard). Along with this, we try to create a healthy balance between clean and harsh vocals. Our musical goal is to be a gateway to introduce people to metal not to scare them away. Without introducing new fans into the scene metal will continue to decline.
In what ways does the name Masquerade reflect your desire to expand metal? Is your music presented as a masquerade to interest people in your music?
We will leave the name of the band up for interpretation, haha, it's more fun that way.
Since bands like Sepultura began adding native music into their songwriting, bands from Asian and Indian countries, and places like Israel and New Zealand, have included native music from their respective countries. Is there traditional music you've been looking into since you started?
Regarding the traditional music question, we actually have discussed that and believe it or not.... we have a song on this upcoming album that will feature some very unique percussion sounds.
Do you believe there are too many categories for metal bands to identify what they do?
As far as metal bands choosing a genre... I think the problem isn't having too many subgenres to choose from (of which there is a lot), the problem is bands limit themselves with only choosing one style and revolve their whole sound around that genre. If it sounds good, play it! Two great examples of musicians who didn't limit themselves to a subgenre would be Kim Dracula and Ronnie Radke.
Why do you believe so many bands imitate other bands? Is it laziness or because people think it’s an easier way to attract a fan base?
As far as the imitating thing, I don’t feel it's necessarily bad but we try not to do it. However, it’s very circumstantial to be honest. Everyone has influences, and playing similar to your influences makes sense. And it’s easier to get a fan base who relates to stuff you already like. Where it becomes lazy is where you can flat our take a riff or beat out of your song and match it to the mainstream artist. I guess the short sweet version is..... There is nothing wrong with having influence, but a lot wrong with copying and pasting.
Another example of how fewer metal bands are limiting themselves is, a rising number of bands I've heard use jazz fusion elements and time signatures other than four beats to the measure. Is Masquerade doing something like this, or is it more like prog?
I would say it would be something more like progressive metal to an extent. Some songs are very progressive while others are not at all. We try our best to mix things up. And yeah it's really cool to see other bands who are also trying to break out of that "bubble" of being stuck to one subgenre. Whether it's jazz fusion, or something different. I think the more bands that break out of that bubble the better.
Do any or all of the Masquerade members have previous band experience that helps you establish your own sound?
So three of four members of Mäsqueräde grew up playing instruments in high school band/strings. Two of the four joined bands after high school which never went anywhere. And then senior year of college we made Mäsqueräde. Which so far has been a great project.
What precisely are Kim Dracula and Ronnie Radke doing to create fresh, unique, and limitless music? How distinguishable are they from other bands, and which of their releases would you recommend?
I would say something we find impressive about Radke is his ability jump into almost any genre, make a unique song, and still add metal aspects to the music even if it's out of the metal genre. Out of his releases, I know our band’s top three favorites are Situations, Popular Monster, and Raised by Wolves. As far as Kim goes, Killdozer is an amazing track. Kim being able to play multiple genres on one track alone is an impressive feat by itself.
Bands like Orphaned Land and Alien Weaponry have the ability to attract new fans. How do you think the music you're preparing will stand out as unique? Will the percussion sound traditional or something fresh written by the band?
It's funny you mention Alien Weaponry because that's a great example musically of what we were talking about earlier as far as breaking out of the "comfort bubble". They do an amazing job of making unique tracks. They don't just shout in a microphone.
One thing that will stand out about our music is every instrument gets its chance to shine, from bass solos to guitar and drum solos. Along with this our musical style is able to take tracks from a fast high to a soft low seamlessly. The track of ours I'm referring to (which hasn't dropped yet) will have fresh percussion parts written by us with several different percussion instruments used throughout the song. Some traditional, some not.
I’ve heard from Melissa Cross and other experienced vocal trainers that there are several varieties of harsh/brutal vocals requiring similar procedures to melodic vocals. How have you arranged different vocal styles to take new approaches?
We use a combination of high pitched and low pitched harsh vocals, with a mix of growls and screams. With all this, we also add clean melodic vocal parts.
How much of your upcoming record has been completed thus far? Is there a working title at this stage? How much more work has to be done?
So the record is going to be called The End Of Everything. It's an eleven track album. With some of the songs already being released as teasers. So far nine of the tracks have been completed and the full record is set to drop late summer.
How well do guitarists Ian Bourg and Jake Lowe work together developing riffs and arranging songs, despite their different playing styles?
It usually it depends on who comes up with the main riff. The other party will write around the main riff usually. It really just depends on who made the riff that day.
Describe the process by which you composed the nine recently completed songs. Were each of them designed to sound distinct from one another?
We typically write what we call "skeleton songs". Which are essentially basic riffs in a song structure. Then we start to add more and more things and spice up riffs and beats until we get a final product. Our songs do have similarities but they’re distinct from one another at the same time, so each track feels fresh and new to the listener.
How soon do you expect the final two tracks to be completed? Are you using the time between now and late summer to do something particularly distinctive in terms of production, mixing, and mastering?
Not sure on when they will be done. Considering one is a seven-minute track and still counting.... haha. It's supposed to be the "finale" of the album.
Why were the tracks Guilty, Crawl Out, and The End Of Everything chosen as advance singles from your next album? Are these songs accessible in digital format, or did you make physical copies available?
Each of those songs were some of the first songs we wrote together as a group. So we decided to start at the beginning. They are available in physical and digital copies.
Discuss your lyrics, and how they are constructed as narratives that transport listeners to other places and experiences while complimenting your music.
Our songs usually have a theme, and we wrote the lyrics around the theme. With that we try and make the lyrics as powerful as possible to get the listener to really relate to what we are saying.
If it's feasible, could you quote samples of your lyrics and explain where they're taking the band?
We tend to focus on dark themes in our lyrics rather than sunshine and rainbows. There are a lot of problems in the real world, so it seems asinine and disingenuous to not write about grim topics. One of our singles Crawl Out looks into the idea of yearning for the truth after waking up from a simulation, and our title track The End Of Everything focuses on reaching a point of no return that leads to mutually assured destruction.
How much help has Jamie King given the band producing the album? Has he offered you tips or recommendations for attaining the sound you’re seeking?
Jamie has been crucial to our success. We would not be where we are without him. We found Jamie after we decided to switch from another place. Now, he has recorded, mixed, and mastered a vast majority of our songs and will be doing our entire album. As far as our sound Jamie is pretty hands off when it comes to that. He will give a tip if we ask him directly; other than that he lets us do our thing.
Throughout the album-making process, how often did you seek Jamie's counsel or recommendations?
We have trusted Jamie’s judgement with regard to the recording process and mixing. He likes to do things a certain way and we often go along with his recommendations. It’s hard to argue with the engineering and mixing expertise of the king.
To what extent are you promoting and publicizing the record before its release? When it's finished, do you plan to make pre-orders available?
We have manly been pushing singles with large social media campaigns. We will probably start doing a record push mid-April. And yes, pre-orders will be available.
Which independent labels has the band approached to release the album? Or are you going to handle this on your own?
We currently are with Curtain Call Records who is helping us promote.
What boundaries are you hoping the album will break down as far as the band attracting new listeners?
We are hoping to push the boundaries by being a gateway for new listeners to get into metal without having to fold and switch genres or be overly heavy. It's like walking a tightrope at times. But the challenge makes it more fun.
-Dave Wolff
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