01. Prologue - Masquerade (Feat. Noel Cordoba)
02. Open Your Eyes
03. The Voice
04. Gipsy Queen (Feat. Luis Robisco)
05. Blue Moon (Feat. Marti Doria)
06. Go Away
07. Epilogue - A Spark Inside Us
08. Tu Enemigo
I had the pleasure of meeting Saltimbankya when my band went to Spain in September. They're from Barcelona and have recently released their debut album Masquerade: A Circus Drama. We swapped CDs, and I eagerly looked forward to giving theirs a spin when I got home.
Musically, they are like a mix of Symphonic Metal, Folk Metal and Traditional Metal, coupled with a strong theatrical image. The album tells a story, and for that reason is best listened to as a complete piece of work. If you are a fan of the Nighwish album Imaginaerum, or the more commercial releases from Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil, then Saltimbankya may well be your new favourite band.
The overall production of the album is very impressive, and sets a great platform for this talented new band to tell their Circus story with societal undertones. The song writing and musical performance are both to a highly professional standard, and something one would expect from a major label artist, making Masquerade: A Circus Drama a real pleasure to listen to.
All of the songs are really good, and flow nicely as clearly intended. One of my favourite tracks is Gipsy Queen, with its stunning vocal performance from lead singer Thanya Santos, entwined with some fantastic Flamenco guitar work from special guest Luis Robisco, giving some real magic to its undeniably infectious chorus.
Another personal favourite is the Spanish language, uplifting finale that is Tu Enemigo. As I said before, the whole album is strong, and I'm sure my favourite tracks will change on every listen.
Considering that the band only formed about a year ago, for them to release an album that's this good in such a short period of time, is quite remarkable. It's also a strong indicator of how hard working and creative they are right now. Saltimbankya are definitely one of my best finds of 2017, and they deserve to reach a much wider audience over the coming months.
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