MELIAH RAGE - Masquerade

CD OVERVIEW:In the mid-2000s, legendary Boston power thrashers MELIAH RAGE found themselves prepped to create a brand new album with all five original members in tow. Drummer Stuart Dowie had returned for 2006's The Deep and Dreamless Sleep, and even fan-favorite vocalist Mike Munro had agreed to find time amidst his family commitments to join up for one more album. Bassist Jesse Johnson ultimately decided to step aside, however, at which point the band brought in Darren Lourie—formerly of Triphammer/Every Second—to complete the lineup. Realizing in retrospect that The Deep and Dreamless Sleep may have been overly mid-paced and one-sided, chief songwriter Anthony Nichols set out to write the group's most guitar-centric album to date—slightly thrashier, and with an occasionally increased emphasis on dual guitar harmonies. Produced by Wargasm's Rich Spillberg and featuring a guest vocal appearance from then-Metal Church frontman Ronny Munroe on "Last Rites," the result was Masquerade: a