Masque of Shadows

Yoke Shire | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 17, 1999)
• Original Release Date: April 17, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zygo Records
• ASIN: B00004I9ZN
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #545,442 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too many influences:from Zeppelin to Santana, March 27, 2003

By 

Lethe "lor68" (Milan, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masque of Shadows (Audio CD)

It seems a mix of the whole types of rock music,within such hard rock and proto-prog scene of late 60's/early 70's(including also some funky stuff),even though the present issue is dated 1999. However this is the best side but also the main defect regarding this heterogonous/too much diversified work.Nevertheless the vocals are solid and the instrumental skill is almost equal to such music from the dinosaurs of the 70's!In fact the multi-instrument player(Craig Herlihy)plays so many different instruments here,such as the flute,dulcimer,marimba,mandolin, glockenspiel and so on,in a remarkable manner,which represents the gentle side of the band,in comparison to such prog metal bunches of instrumentals!! "Maiden Voyage","The Brook,the Mirror and the Maiden" and "Return Voyage" is the trilogy, gathered in a mini-suite, whose songs are splitted...the main theme is performed in progress within each track,according to a metal prog style,but it's also in the vein of some medieval stuff, by means of a jethro-tullesque flute!! "Ghost notes" duplicates this latter style, with the contribution of a galloping horse, performed through a drumming excursion, which is very original ... finally you find the title track, the melodic rock song in the vein of some stuff by Rush and the conclusive "Magic dust" as well, a dignified piece of music,which resume the spirit of the whole album!!

Recommended, even though this is not my favourite kind of prog music ...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mighty Impressive Maiden Flight, October 28, 2001

By 

El Kabong - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masque of Shadows (Audio CD)

This trio from Boston has been getting positive attention on a few music sites, mostly European ones. Naturally, as these days most good homegrown bands have to go overseas just to get a record deal. Yoke Shire didn't, enacting Plan B (record and release the cd themselves). This isn't amateur hour, however - thanks to high-tech and its increasing affordability, MASQUE OF SHADOWS is home-cooking that sounds as clean and powerful as any major-label offering. The album is pleasingly schizophrenic, moving from classy hard rock to austere atmospheric progressive, often in the same song. Craig Herlihy is the chief cook & bottle washer here, handling most of the composition chores as well as production (excellent, as I've noted), playing scads of instruments (impressively) and vocals (deep, echoey and sonorous - Yoke Shire might want to add a full time singer for future albums). The cd starts out as heavy rock with an eldritch, medieval flavor: the opening cuts "Black Tower" and "Shape Of A Dancer" have been described as 'Jethro Tull meets Santana'. I can hear echoes of both but neither are dominant: the expert mix of various influences and Herlihy's own muse creates a sonic stew unique unto itself. In fact, the rockier moments on this cd are where Herlihy's Benedictine-monk-on-blotter-acid vocals come off best. The middle part of MASQUE is a handful of fragments and longer pieces stitched into a continuity. It is this middle span where the proggiest sections reside, as the music ebbs and flows from muscular rock to ghostly medieval dream-state before surging back to full-throttle, though by the end of the disc Herlihy's endlessly chanted refrain 'She'll be down by the water' begins to grate on my nerves a bit. Make no mistake, however, Yoke Shire have a winner on their hands: they may falter here and there, but they cross the finish line full of run. CDs like this one don't just indicate how clueless the major labels are these days, they also remind us that, if you've got the talent and the will to see it through, you don't need the majors anymore to get your music out there. Nowadays if a cd I love is on Sony or Warner or BMG, it's likely to be by accident: the best new musicians seem to understand they can starve for their art perfectly well without a multi-national corporate hydra's "help". And about time...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New force of Progressive Rock?, April 10, 2000

By 

Nessy NH "Nessy" (Nashua, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masque of Shadows (Audio CD)

The group from New England that just issued their first CD. But it doesn't sound like a debut of young musicians. I listened those guys live in concert and bought the CD. And I have to say I really enjoyed both. They are really strong players. Their leader plays keyboards, fluite, bass guitar and acoustic strings really cool. Drummer and guitarist are cool as well. Speaking about style I can call it progressive metal with some taste of Jethro Tull, early Genesis and, perhaps, Yes. Long epic songs with very professional arrangement and rich sound. Despite the only three players the group sounds like orchestra. If you really like Progrock you'll like this! For me it was wonderful surprice!