From their EPK, “In early 2023, a spark ignited the flames of DREADMASK, a melodic death metal band based in Eindhoven, with members originating from Greece, Hungary, and The Netherlands.  While “dread” signifies the haunting grip of anxiety, “mask” alludes to the veils we arise to shield our vulnerabilities. On the journey of playing the game of societal norms, we encounter our “Prime Dread”—our deepest fears. Each member of the band brings their unique musical influences to the forefront, encompassing Swedish death metal riffs, growling vocals, soaring melodies, progressive metal’s nuances, and black metal-inspired melancholy.”

The album has six songs, and “Reign of Fear” is first. As with a good deal of bands in the genre these days, they have the Death side of things down pat, but the melody, not so much. The riffs are ones that you have heard before, and they use the low E chord as the basis for much of the guitar work. For me, it shows a band trying to play it safe. “Jester’s Grin” embraces a little more melody, but it is still going to predictable places. It’s not a bad sound by any stretch of the imagination, it just isn’t pushing any boundaries. “The Light” is yet another song that lacks imagination. In today’s Metal scene, you need to be daring, and somewhat experimental…the genre boundaries will always be there but it doesn’t mean you can bend them to your will.

“Reflections” is another song that uses tried and true formulas, and it is getting harder and harder to distinguish between the songs, and provide suitable adjective to describe the music…it’s just flat. “Ember” is heavier, darker, and more dangerous, but still uses predictable chord progressions. It might be the band at the top of their game however. “Resilient Shadows” closes the album. It’s a slower song that has time to develop, but besides weighted elements, it never really goes anywhere. Overall, I’m afraid this album just fell flat. It didn’t push any boundaries, nor use any of the other tools in the genre like clean vocals or keyboards. It was just guitar driven MeloDeath with some guitar harmonies here and there. I would encourage them to take more chances next time, because it can make their sounds more memorable.