Biography
Arcturus was founded
originally as a side project for members of various brutal Norweigen
black metal bands such as Ulver, Emperor and the notorious Mayhem.
Their first release was a 7" single put out in 1991, entitled
My Angel, which created a significant underground buzz
in the burgeoning Scandinavian metal scene. By 1993's
mini album, Constellation, Emperor's Samoth and Ulver's
Garm joined founding member Hellhammer (of Mayhem) to establish
the band as a real "supergroup" of sorts. Again, this
album continued underground fervor, and scored the band a record
deal with Century Media. Both of these recordings are
exceedingly rare and I haven't heard them, so comparing them
to their later stuff is somewhat beyond my scope.
Their first proper
release surfaced in 1995 in the way of Aspera Hiems Sinfonia,
albeit without Samoth, who was serving time for burning down
a small wooden church in rural Norway. However, it was
by this point clear that this was a good deal different than
your run of the mill black metal bombast. The creepy keyboard
melodies, lurching atmospheres and down tempo rhythms provided
a more symphonic approach while remaining squarely in the black
metal realm. Despite the minor innovations of this album,
nothing would prepare metaldom for what would come next.
1997's La Masquerade Infernale is a progressive metal
maelstrom that jars loose any possible genre linkage, veering
uncontrollably from operatic fervor, swirling keyboards and
dramatic, utterly unconventional song structures. Conceptually
structures upon anti-Christian and/or Satanic themes, yet literary
and profound in its delivery, the album is definitely a work
of paradox, subtlety and blinding brilliance. Today, its
still an album that still stands without imitation or equal,
possibly one of the finest, and unequivocally unique, metal-related
albums ever released. Apparently they may have sold their
souls to Satan in exchange for the moment of collective brilliance,
as little has been heard out of the Arcturus camp in a few years,
aside from a "remix" album entitled Disguised Masters,
which met with a tepid response at best.
- Greg Northrup [October 2001]
La Masquerade Infernale (1997)
Strangely
this album is somewhat unknown in progressive rock circles,
perhaps this is because Arcturus is generally known as a 'black-metal'
band. However, this album is a dark, unique and incredibly symphonic,
complex masterpiece. The album is what a modern progressive
rock album should be. Uncompromising in its vision, distinctive,
meticulous, and perhaps most importantly, managing to sound
like prog rock without ripping off any of the 70s luminaries.
The album is fairly independent of any of the usual influences;
this is very original stuff. The closest comparison I can make
would probably be to Devil Doll, except much more eclectic and
certainly less redundant. Even this only sort of shows
you where they come from in very vague terms; dark, dramatic,
very theatrical and very symphonic.
The album
is performed as something like a satanic opera. Dark melodies,
mock carnival-like synths, and dynamic arrangements are accompanied
by the powerful, operatic and passionate dual lead vocals. The
vocals usually tend to trade off with one another, giving the
sense of some sort of dialogue taking place. The lyrics (though
totally brilliant) all seem to regard Satanism in some manner,
though lead vocalist and lyricist Garm seems to take a literate
and philosophical approach to the whole thing. Regardless, this
will likely be offensive to the very religious, though it's
difficult to actually understand the lyrics without the lyric
sheet anyhow, due to the highly operatic singing style.
Those fearing black metal growls need not be scared off, as
the band has apparently dumped that element, revealing a suprisingly
expressive 'clean' vocal style.
It's hard
to find something truly original being created under the banner
of 'progressive rock' these days, which is why a band like Arcturus
is so remarkable. Perhaps growing outside of the traditional
sphere of influence has contributed to why this stunning album
even exists, and why it's so deserving of your respect.
In my opinion, a masterpiece of the highest order, though very
heavy and very dark.
- Greg Northrup [2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
