This jewel is a 1999 remake of Arcturus' album La Masquerade Infernale. Arcturus being originally a (black) metal band tried something completely new here. At a time when when musical genres were still more fixed than today they released a remix album and somehow, I am sure this is how Arcturus imagined this record originally to be – to break the tight boundaries of the metal scene with new arrangements and electronic oevres.
It reminds me a lot of what later Ulver and Manes released: metal either stripped away entirely or heavily augmented with samples, orchestral synths and electronics with songs and sounds completely re-arranged.
My personal highlights include "Du Nordavind (1998 Re-recording)" with its fine structures, "The Throne Of Tragedy (Phantom FX Jungle Remix)" with its twisted beats and the “gangstafied” hip-hop version of the title track "Master Of Disguise (Phantom FX Remix w/gangstafications by S.C.N.)". After some line-up changes it seems like the Arcturus split up but there are rumors of a reunion in the future – let's see if they can up with something truly innovative.
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