DENDERA's “Mask of Lies” takes hardcore and mixes it with a host of other styles to intricately create a unique sound that you always feel like you can pinpoint, until you try to do just that. A lot of what this album projects suggests a hardcore background, but upon listening to it in it's entirety, it is clear that that each member takes influence from a multitude of styles within metal. The dramatic “Intro” track and album title track definitely showcases hardcore capabilities and really captures the listener, but there is a break in the song that showcases a lot of technicality with an overarching progressiveness about it. The second full length track on the album is “Scream in Silence” a track that has a very powerful chorus and a verse that seemingly has seemingly takes influence from NEVERMORE. The vocals here are very powerful and the riff sounds very old school, but has a commanding personality about it that will not be forgotten by many listeners. The album progresses with what can only be described as DESTRAGED and BLACK KEYS influences. The vocalist does a tremendous job of knitting the songs together without being overbearing, but still remaining as the driving force of the songs. The song that best showcases these is “The Fall”. Its heavy, hardcore style opening riff takes the song into a calm, but tense verse that has Nu-Metal vibes, but it is from here that you can start to make comparisons to the latter two bands mentioned. 

The album really kicks off with “Drift Away”. The main riff here is very exciting and takes hold of the listeners with ease. Perhaps the most exciting thing about this track is the featuring artist they have on with them. Russ Parrish (Satchel) from STEEL PANTHER blasts an iconic solo in such a way that it blows your mind. Not what you expect from a hair metal enthusiast, but exactly what you’d expect from someone with the prowess of such a guitarist. The diversity of the vocalists skills are put on display in the outro of this track and it is phenomenal. “Drag Me Below” is an epic end to an album that holds a lot of quality. It perfectly sums up the group of tracks with solid song writing, great riffs and amazingly articulated vocals. A great way to sign off to punters at a show or digital listeners is with a song that leaves everyone wanting more. “Mask of Lies” as an album is truly a great piece of work. DENDERA really know what they are doing and are poised to go on to big things. They are currently making waves in the UK national metal scene and their knack of finding great collaborators to feature on their albums is a quality that all bands will benefit from if used correctly.