The Story So Far:

While many musicians and bands have had their activities grind to a halt during the age of COVID-19, Israeli progressive rock, metal and world music act Subterranean Masquerade (aka Submasq) has been extremely active. May 2021 saw the release of their latest album Mountain Fever, and the band saw tremendous recognition and buzz, in Israel and abroad. After years of a mostly international career, performing to audiences of hundreds and thousands of people, the shutdown of the international music industry allowed the band to focus their effort inwards, making them a household name in the local rock music scene, regularly selling out their concerts. 

 

Led by guitarist and producer Tomer Pink, the band is signed with Sensory Records, the US label debuting metal giants such as Riverside, Haken and Diablo Swing Orchestra. Mountain Fever album presents a more refined version of the band’s style, bringing to center stage the atmosphere of their live experience - colorful yet driving tracks, full of sing-alongs, and more than ever fusing arena rock with the spicy flavors it is famous for. Among others, the album reached top spots in many lists worldwide, including Top 10 most selling albums of Amazon UK’s Metal and Hard Rock list in May of 2021.

 

Press Achievements:

Between 2021-2023 the band has been lauded in world’s the biggest music magazines, and its name keeps popping in US and European outlets such as Loudwire, Metal Hammer, Prog Classic Rock ,Rock Hard ,New Noise, Metal Injection, Horns Up France, Loud TV France, Rock Hard Italy, This is Rock Spain, Eclipsed Fireworks UK, Iasi TV Romania and many others, while latest release Mountain Fever was featured in many lists for bests albums of 2021. Locally, the band reached the Calcalist newspaper and Kan 11’s prime time TV. The band is increasingly gaining popularity and many see it as Israel’s next emissary in the metal world. Combining Metal, Hasidic, Indian and Balkan influences, its live concerts are sizzling, flavorful and attract a loyal following of hundreds of people. 

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Live Achievements:

Since the release of Mountain Fever, Subterranean Masquerade have been booked at International Festivals in Asia and Europe (Dong Open Air Festival in Germany, Maximum Rock Romania, Saarang World Fest in India, and Israel's Psychoward Festival to name a few), and directly supported acts such as Disturbed and Deep Purple. Submasq is also the first Israeli band to sign endorsement deals with Heavy Metal headphones company ‘Heavys’ and with the synthesizer makers Sequential. Prior to the release of Mountain Fever, the band has also performed at ProgPower Europe and toured together with bands such as Orphaned Land, Therion, Dirty Shirt, Sons of Apollo and more, and had cooperated with members of bands such as Melechesh, Novembers Doom, Green Carnation, Agalloch and At the Gates. Vocalist Davidavi Dolev was cast to voice the head villain in the metal video game Of Bird & Cage along with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns and Roses), Kobra Paige of Kobra and the Lotus, Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria and members of bands such as Evanescence, Within Temptation, and Epica.

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New Release - Spirit Animal​

​The 5th album and 7th release by Submasq is coming up! recorded between Sweden (Fascination Street Studios) and Israel and mixed by Adam Noble (Paul Mccartney, Placebo, Nothing but Thieves, Biffy Clyro, Leprous and more), Spirit Animal delivers a darker sonic journey compared to the band's back catalog, combining Submasq’s special approach of fusing festive ethnic music, this time with alternative rock textures, yet not forsaking their proggy legacy. Putting emphasis on songwriting, Spirit Animal describes an autobiographical personal quest and a conflict between the spiritual aspect of an ancestry and it's haunting roots, touching subjects such as post-trauma, bi-polar disorder, war, addiction and collective memory, all flavored with soundscapes of the east , delivering a fragile yet vivid emotional journey through the listener's ears and into their hearts.

 

Spirit Animal is due to be released during 2025.

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