Masquerade
Flux
Metal Blade
Time has not been kind to Masquerade. Not too long ago (•95, to be exact), Masquerade were a strictly second-tier progressive metal band. Now, with their latest Flux full-length, the quartet squarely posit themselves as a second-tier “grunge” metal band, and that’s really no way to be, Live worship be damned. Forgettable, and not even worth your time nor consideration, even for fans of such dreck. Then again, considering this came out on the once-mighty Metal Blade, I guess you could say time hasn’t been equally kind to the label, either. Stay the hell away.
Metal Blade, 2828 Cochran St., PMB 302, Simi Valley, CA 93065-2793; http://www.metalblade.com
