Thechopstickdrummer
Israeli Ethno-Prog ensemble SUBMASQ (previously Subterranean Masquerade) joins the slew of masked bands. We’ve all come across S***p T***n, Korn, and Ghost, but have any of them donned the intriguing creation that vocalist Vivi Dolev wears on the album art (Yalon Schori, Shay Darvish)? I figured as much. For their debut on Willowtip Records, SUBMASQ taps deeper into their traditional and progressive minds to bring forth Spirit Animal, their fifth full-length record. Fit with a diverse instrumental session crew and a regained sense of imagination (the band released a short EP this February with a contemptible AI-generated cover), SUBMASQ is already impressing cranky ol’ me. Can they keep it up?
Spirit Animal tends to the playful, eclectic side of progressive metal, drawing great influence from alternative and art rock to produce easily digestible compositions that’ll please both the radio and the critic. The nine tracks consolidate bouts of modern melodicism, a smidge of progressive technicality, and a gracious offering of aboriginal instrumentation into no more than five-minute tracks, each of which with their own quirks. Across the forty-one minute runtime, the album quickly adapts to a ballad-forward style, with Vivi Dolev’s vocals only pivoting to harshness to emphasize a point or two. It’s on its best and fullest display on “Mechanical Prayers,” a piece with an infectious Middle Eastern groove. His usual vocals are clean, soaring, and at various times impressively high. SUBMASQ’s sound is undeniably assisted by a softer, collected sound.
That’s not to say the band can’t guitar. Or Shalev finds himself soloing frequently in the moodier cuts, and prog guitar giant Bumblefoot appears on a guest shred on the album’s opener. I could talk about the usual instruments, but my main musical focus was on how SUBMASQ weaved the promised ethnicity into their songs. Only one member, Shai Yallin, is credited with an unorthodox instrument: the handpan. Could I tell exactly when it was used? Nope, but if I had to guess, it’d be in unison with the tablas, oud, bouzouki, and strings in the many instances where they open or close a track. “Cardamom,” the beginning piece, starts with the rhythmic percussion, and unlike other groups that handle exotic openings, SUBMASQ doesn’t toss the percussion away after a minute or two. In the oddly strung-together song structures, the instruments appear again and again, and I couldn’t be happier. Yes, I’m easily impressed with ethnic inclusions, shut up.
The album’s flow definitely suffers in the middle, however. Songs four to seven ramp up in terms of melodicness and mood. Progressive metal, especially the lighter kind, is prone to more heartfelt displays, but with an album like Spirit Animal, I found myself losing focus. Thankfully, these picks aren’t stereotypically lengthy, so the light (harsh vocals) at the end of the tunnel (a bunch of OK songs) was reached fairly easily. More dynamism can be shoved into the select bunch, and you could extract a ton of it from “Monuments,” the single currently out. A keyboard solo, a la-la-la backing, and a positive mood altogether. Alas, I really do like Spirit Animal, and hopefully Willowtip does these progheads good. Or should I say wooden sculpture heads?
Label: Willowtip Records
Release date: September 18th, 2026
Website: https://submasq.bandcamp.com/album/spirit-animal
Country: Israel
Score: 4.3/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 