Thousand Foot Krutch- Welcome to the Masquerade CD Review

TFK rock harder than ever in their newest album: Welcome to the Masquerade. With metal, and pop influences, this melodic rock trio from Ontario have produced a mix of different sounds for this album. Notable tracks are “Welcome to the Masquerade”, “Look Away”, “Forward Motion” and “Already Home”. “Welcome to the Masquerade”, the first full song on the album and title track, is a solid rock anthem filled with gritty guitar hooks and authentic death growls. Scattered throughout the song are melodic guitar undertones that are pivotally placed before the explosion of sound during the chorus, which make for a unique sound that isn’t quite metal, but still rocks hard. “Look Away”, a catchy soft-pop ballad, incorporates a string orchestra, piano, acoustic guitars and looping harmonic vocals. It is a beautiful song, but seems more fitting for Trevor McNevan (lead singer)’s side project, FM static- a pop-punk band. The song is however, a welcome break from the distorted guitars, strong sounds and heavy percussion throughout the whole album. Rounding out the album is “Forward Motion”, an impeccable balance of percussion, rising vocals and interweaving guitars; the middle ground between the hard rock songs and soft ballads in this album. “Smack Down”, is yet another rock anthem, reminiscent of the earlier TFK circa their Phenomenon album and structured by clapping and stomping, similar to Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. Welcome to the Masquerade comes roaring in like a lion and simmers out like a lamb. The last track, “Already Home” is similar to “Look Away”, and could be written off as overkill to the end of the album. The song is a sweet-sounding melody that is almost too perfect, enveloping the listener with overwhelming, warm tones at the chorus that sound like the overture to a teenage TV drama.