Mighty kick in the arse! Yeah, that’s exactly how Evil Masquerade sinks in. They’re a theatrical, symphonic and light-hearted metal band in the vein of Blind Guardian, with a little twist of Yngwie Malmsteen of course. I never was a Blind Guardian fan, but this band somehow does it for me with the same style. That amazing, evil line-up features members from bands such as Royal Hunt, Moahni Moahna, Sinphonia, Yngwie Malmsteen, Wuthering Heights, Majestic and Time Requiem. And the expectations are high of course. But Evil Masquerade fills them easily.

It’s evident how influenced the guys are by classical music, check out their version of Bach’s ”Badinerie” for instance. Familiar notes keep flowing throughout the album with baroque-keys and even Queen-like massive rock-opera style has a strong hold in each song, taled with a dreadful mood at times. Henrik Brockmann’s vocal work amazes, he really shines in each song, perfecting his style even more so from the Royal Hunt days. His vocals are just perfect for this material, flowing with a great mood and the backing vocals join in on all the right places. The overall sound is very clear, without losing any power from it. From the first notes the massive, operatic neo-classical atmosphere takes a hold of you. ”Welcome To The Show” also takes influence from the classic hard rock with the simple, catchy choruses and guitar riffs, then again kicking to the difficult scales, the sky’s the limit. Eventhough it’s very fast material, there’s enough space also to make everything click together well making sense to the songs, not making it just another technical band.

Take any song from here, and it’s a perfect pick. But most of all the title track, ”Oh Harlequin” and ”But You Were Smiling...” had that sticky, powerful label on them. Somewhere I swear I could even hear Iron Maiden and At Vance influences. Well, anything’s possible, you suck influences from anything you cross paths with. In todays music business and having the neo-classical mark on you it’s hard to come out with anything new. And eventhough Evil Masquerade at times plays notes that have a ring from the past, they are still standing on their own and it’s always a pleasure to hear a debut album as great as this. Be it a bunch of professional musicians, but still. Welcome to the show, you’re in for a thundering ride and there’s not much time to chill out in this show.