Anyone who thinks that Helstar’s post-reunion albums sound a bit too modern should definitely give ‘The Devil’s Masquerade’ a spin. While no one will mistake the album for one of Helstar’s earlier works, not in the least because it has a thick, beefy production job, it is notably less borderline thrash metal than most of their twenty-first century output. If anything, ‘The Devil’s Masquerade’ sounds like the most logical follow-up to their fan favorite ‘Nosferatu’ (1989) out of anything Helstar has ever released since. And that includes that album’s actual 2016 sequel ‘Vampiro’. A great example of old school, yet contemporary-sounding metal.

For those unfamiliar with Helstar, it’s actually kind of difficult to succinctly describe them, as no metal genre is a perfect fit. ‘The Devil’s Masquerade’ goes for a sound somewhere between traditional heavy metal, US power metal, speed metal and thrash metal, though slightly further from the latter than the first three, and Larry Barragan’s twisted riff work is more complex than such a description may imply. What makes it similar to ‘Nosferatu’ is how dark the overall style is. Helstar certainly gives Mercyful Fate a run for their money in that regard, though I would much rather listen to James Rivera sing than King Diamond.

Speaking of Rivera: I like that he takes on a more melodic vocal approach on ‘The Devil’s Masquerade’. Especially when compared to ‘Vampiro’, which saw him going for a more dramatic, almost narrative delivery. It could be a result of the riff work being slightly less dense during the verses and choruses. Barragan still plays complex riffs with a lot of notes, but those are generally reserved for the non-vocal sections of the songs. Just listen to ‘Carcass for a King’, likely the album’s best song. The ominous, mid-tempo 6/8 grind leaves Rivera plenty of space for a theatrical, almost gothic vocal performance, especially in its middle section.

Other highlights include the relatively straightforward ‘The Staff of Truth’, the supremely structured semi-epic ‘The Haunting Mirror’, and the pulsating ‘Stygian Miracles’. The way the opening title track lets the listeners know what kind of Helstar album they are dealing with is also really well-done. And then there is the aggressive closing track ‘I Am the Way’, which features a veritable who’s who of the Texas metal scene. Jason McMaster in particular takes the song to another place, but it is obvious that these singers aren’t just pulled in to have some big names on the record. The vocal parts are clearly well thought-out.

If ‘Nosferatu’ is the way you prefer to hear Helstar – it even has a cool guitar instrumental in ‘Suerte de Muleta’ – ‘The Devil’s Masquerade’ is the album for you. And even though I personally prefer 1988’s midly progressive ‘A Distant Thunder’, ‘The Devil’s Masquerade’ might actually be my favorite post-reunion Helstar album so far as well. Every song has a distinctive hook, no matter how intricate it gets, and it features Rivera’s best recorded vocal performance in a long time. An easy recommendation for Helstar fans, but those who like Queensrÿche’s older work and don’t know Helstar yet should also go and have a listen.

Recommended tracks: ‘Carcass for a King’, ‘The Staff of Truth’, ‘The Haunting Mirror’