Its incredible when a band seemingly comes out of nowhere with a new, distinctive sound that pushes the boundaries of what people would consider to be "metal" music. Subterranean Masquerade is a prime example with their full-length debut album "Suspended Animation Dreams". This album demonstrates how a beautifully moody sounds cape without resorting to cranked up distorted guitars and excessive screaming is formed..



Suspended Animation Dreams is delivered as a celebration of music history as a whole, rather than just any one certain genre. Avant-garde is probably the most succinct way of stating their sound. The overall feel of the album is one of sadness. The melding of so many styles reveals this feeling, rather than being a detriment to the nakedness of the emotions involved. Lying in a dark room with headphones is probably the best way to enjoy this album because it's so easy to just fall out of reality listening to the lush waves of powerful, yet subtle structures and orchestrations packed within.



It's hard to predict how well this album will be received in the often-times closed-minded views of fans of metal music. If you, the reader is a fan of cross-genre bands like Ulver, Opeth and Mr. Bungle though, this album is definitely worth your while and should be a key record in your collection. Seriously, how often do you hear an album that contains melodic male/female vocals within the same song as guttural death metal grunts? Especially outside of the (tiresome) realm of black metal. Pick this up on the 21st of June, give it a listen and be ready for an epic journey into something that can truly be called a work of aural art.