Today, I’m going to review the new album by the French black metal band Dark Plague. In early 2025, I wrote a review of their album The Threshold of Death. The new offering is entitled Masquerade and is available via the German label Fetzner Death Records in digital, CD and cassette formats. It is the sixth studio album by the band that hails from Lille.
Through their new album Masquerade, the French band offers listeners a new black metal experience. Indeed, Dark Plague presents an album rooted in an old-school sound (this is particularly evident on the track Power of Desire) which balances fast, violent passages with more measured, melodic moments. Tracks such as Useless offer an atmospheric listening experience. The mix focuses mainly on the instrumental elements, whilst the vocals are somewhat submerged. As for the production, it is cold in order to preserve that old-school feel, but also adopts a slightly more modern approach to make the soundscape more accessible.
The guitars are sharp, but that’s not all! The musicians do not rely solely on frantic, fast-paced passages. They also incorporate melodic compositions. This is evident throughout several tracks on the album. At times, these melodies become hypnotic, as can be heard on Insidious Plague of Mind. The drums create rhythms that will have any purist of the genre nodding their head. Blast beats can be heard on tracks such as Overwhelmed at 3:55 onward and Make War Great Again at 3:21 onward. In my opinion, the best drumming can be found on Modern Lament and Power of Desire, where very fast and steady beats drive the compositions forward. I’d also like to give a special mention to the drumming, which I particularly enjoyed.
The vocals are furious, repulsive and venomous. True to old-school black metal, the best vocal performance is, in my opinion, on tracks like Overwhelmed. But it’s on Bitter Leather & Sweet Pain that the intensity reaches its peak: it’s almost frenetic and knows no respite. I particularly liked the vocals on the previous album, but on this new one, they seem a bit monotonous.
The tracks and moments I particularly enjoyed include Overwhelmed, with its progressive structure that builds slowly from an ominous acoustic passage towards a melodic composition that accelerates steadily, accompanied by visceral vocals. There’s also the track Bitter Leather & Sweet Pain, which, in my opinion, is the most intense track on the album with its frantic rhythm, pounding drums and relentless vocals. But that’s not all! The track also offers some truly memorable moments through melodies that fit within the track’s overall structure.
I personally find Masquerade to be a much more crafted album than its predecessor in terms of songwriting, and more elaborate in its structure too. But I would have liked the vocals to be a bit more prominent in certain passages or sections. And overall, it’s an album that easily stands out from what the black metal scene has to offer.
Note: Masquerade is a concept album centered on social hypocrisy, the psychological masks that human beings wear to avoid exclusion, and the malice hidden behind virtuous appearances. Musically, it delivers a visceral combination of raw violence and sharp melodies.
You can order the album on Fetzner Death Records - Webiste or on the bandcamp below