Based in Göthenburg, the band was launched in 1989 by guitarist Johan Engström and four other musicians. Alternately called
Based in Göthenburg, the band was launched in 1989 by guitarist Johan Engström and four other musicians. Alternately called DÉJÀ VU and then POCKETFUL, they released three demos ("Masque", "Distant Divineness" and "Behind Thoughts") before their first official album in 1992, "Flesh That Understands", under the name MASQUE. "Ten Ways" followed two years after.
"Flesh That Understands" will likely remind you of early SAGA but with plenty of interesting and original ideas; the musicianship is tight and the vocals are excellent. "Ten Ways", however, is a totally different affair and difficult to categorize: a mixture of art-pop and world music (African percussions, Mariachi trumpets) tinted with a Scandinavian melancholy. It features a different guitarist and vocalist as well as four new guest musicians. It's a fun album but it's as far from neo prog as an album can get.
Neo-prog fans will want to concentrate on "Flesh That Understands" whereas "Ten Ways" is more likely to appeal to fans of Peter Gabriel.