Lawyers of Kansas

Masque (Exp)

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-07
Summary: "4.5 stars - the progressive metal prototype"

Originally released in 1975, Masque was the third album from progressive rock legends Kansas. I've wanted to take this album on for a long time, but reviewing an album of this caliber always seemed like too daunting a task. I love progressive metal, and for me this album is the prototype for the entire genre.

Of course, when you pop this disc into the player and hear the barroom boogie of "It Takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man)" and "Two Cents Worth," progressive metal is the last thing that comes to mind. Aside from those two songs, and later, "It's You," Masque has some extremely epic, very dramatic songs that serve as the blueprint for the progressive metal bands that followed. In particular, look at the songs "Icarus - Borne on Wings of Steel" and "The Pinnacle." The technical musicianship on these songs is matched with a sense of grandeur and majesty (not to mention overall heaviness) that was truly groundbreaking. As much as I love Symphony X's Odyssey, that album's 23-minute title track is clearly based on what Kansas did nearly 30 years earlier with "The Pinnacle." Even the shorter "Child of Innocence" and "Mysteries and Mayhem" feel like epic compositions.

The combination of hard rock, progressive technicality and fantastic, conceptual subject matter evident on Masque is reflected years later in the works of Dream Theater, Vanden Plas and Symphony X. Beyond that, Masque is just an incredible album. The schizophrenic shift between boogie rock and epic prog is a bit too jarring for this to be considered a perfect album, but it definitely has its share of transcendent moments. "The Pinnacle" in particular is a song that every fan of progressive metal needs to hear. I still get chills when that song starts.

I still don't feel like I've done the album justice, but I'm glad I finally managed to pay my respect to this influential release. It may not be as highly regarded as Leftoverture or Point Of Know Return, but Masque will always be my favorite Kansas album.

Edition Notes: Masque was finally remastered in 2001. In addition to the digital remastering, the reissue features demo versions of "Child of Innocence" and "It's You." The bonus tracks are completely forgettable, and you'll never need to hear them twice, but the remastering is well worth the price of the reissue.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-02-11
Summary: "Classic Kansas"

I think this is some of the bands best work. Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh and company bring Southern, Rock n Roll, Heavy Metal and Fusion together beautifully. Joining Kerry Livgren on his musical journey through Spirituality is a great ride.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-01-31
Summary: "The best Kansas album"

If you like Kansas, this is their best album in general. They had many good albums but this one in my opinion was their best! Highly recommended listening.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-01-16
Summary: "An album for serious Kansas and prog rock fans, excellent remastering"

I've heard some people say this is one of Kansas's weaker albums but I think this is one of their best, honestly. The remastering job is really good, actually. As I mentioned in my review of Kansas (self-titled), I was suspicious of buying these remasters because of the horrible remastering job done on Leftoverture, but this album, like Kansas, has been well remastered, keeping very close to the original mix and sound while adding a lot of clarity without compressing the heck out of the CD to make it "seem" louder (see: loudness war).

This album does have some weak tracks, like "It Takes A Woman's Love", "Two Cents Worth", "All The World", and "It's You", but the rest are typically Kansas...well constructed and with an absolutely stunning finale, "The Pinnacle". I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoyed Kansas or Song for America and wants more.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-12-19
Summary: "I fell in love..."

This was the first Kansas album I bought when it released in 1975, and remains one of my favorites. Robbie Steinhart's violin (unheard of in rock albums for the most part) really added a uniqueness, when coupled with Kerry Livgren's guitar and Steve Walsh's keyboards and vocals made for an awesome sound, that was a refreshing departure from most other bands of the time. My album has long since left my possession, so adding the CD to my collection has reminded me just how good these guys were.