La Masquerade Infernale

La Masquerade Infernale (the title meaning "the infernal masquerade" in French) is a 1997 album by Arcturus. Released by Misanthropy Records, the album is a huge step away from the slow, doom-influenced melodic black metal of Aspera Hiems Symfonia. The album has a dark sound to it, featuring heavy use of synthesizers and samples, often making those elements more prominent than the guitar. Most of the songs revolve around the themes of theater, literature, and Satan. The characteristic screams of black metal are replaced by a gruff, low-toned clean vocal style, occasionally alternated with operatic singing or the bizarre high-pitched singing of guest singer Simen Hestnæs, who nine years later would replace Garm as the band's frontman. LMI is regarded by many as Arcturus' masterpiece and one of the greatest examples of avant-garde metal. It was reissued in 2003 by Candlelight Records, given a somewhat louder remastering and without the hidden track before track 1.