Search - The Red Masque :: Fossil Eyes

Unfortunately: it's all too seldom that an American rock band will come on to the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, to shake things up on some sort of musical level. Fortunately: we DO have The Red Masque, who have a penchant to do exactly that. Singer Lynnette Shelley's vocal prowess is so extremely formidable, that it stands unrivaled in today's world of advancement-based music (what some folks still stubbornly refer to as Progressive Rock. Her vocal delivery, both strong and passionate, is insistently astounding, and whilst never overbearing to the intent of her lyrical matter, often lends a helping hand of credence to it. This is a sign of musical maturity, and far too few are willing to examine this presentation, or to strip away their own influences in the hope of creating something new; Thankfully, Ms. Shelley helps her style of music to break its own mold. The band alongside her is comprised of top-notch musicians [Brandon Ross, Vonorn and Andrew Kowal], who compose and play a fresh new slant in a school of music whose major proponents lost their sense of immediacy long ago. They work long and hard together on the compositions, and it shows. Within the framework of instrumentation (meaning guitars, keys, bass and drums), and a few not-so-ordinary (like the erhu), The Red Masque exceed the parameters of PROG which time and again have reproduced formulaic results, and therefore go well beyond the norm of their contemporaries.