Final Masquerade
| "Final Masquerade" | |||||||
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| Single by Linkin Park | |||||||
| from the album The Hunting Party | |||||||
| Working title | Drawbar | ||||||
| Recorded | 2013-2014 | ||||||
| Released | September 26, 2014 (CD Single) | ||||||
| Format | CD, Digital | ||||||
| Length | 03:37 | ||||||
| Stems | Stagelight (Linkin Park Bundle II)[1] | ||||||
| Time signature | 4/4 | ||||||
| Tempo | 164 | ||||||
| Key | C Minor | ||||||
| Live debut | August 6, 2014 | ||||||
| Last played | November 7, 2015 | ||||||
| Writer(s) | Linkin Park, Emile Haynie | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Brad Delson, Mike Shinoda, Emile Haynie | ||||||
| Label | Warner Bros., Machine Shop | ||||||
| Linkin Park singles chronology | |||||||
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Background
"Final Masquerade" was among the final songs written for The Hunting Party, and the band brought in Emile Haynie, who is well known for working with some of the biggest pop stars in the world, like Katy Perry and Rihanna. Chester Bennington described it as "...stepping out of our comfort zone and we ended up writing a great song. It was a lot of fun, we had a lot of opportunities to step out of that, out of our world and invite people in for the first time."[2] The opening drum beat was initially a more complex beat done by Mike Shinoda, but Rob Bourdon improvised a part with more soul, and his take was what made it onto the album.[3] Initially, Shinoda sang the entire song, but wound up giving the lead part to Bennington.[4]
The label tried to get the band to release this song or "Until It's Gone" as the lead single for The Hunting Party, while the band had settled on it being "Guilty All The Same".[5] Obviously, the band won that battle, as "Guilty All The Same" was released as the lead single.
Acoustic Version
On February 18, 2015, Linkin Park released an acoustic rendition of "Final Masquerade" for free.
Regarding this version, Brad Delson stated on the band's website and social media, "In this stripped-down intimate version, the words and storytelling lead the way. I loved working on this special recording of "Final Masquerade", and we're excited to share it with our fans."[6] Mike Shinoda said on his blog, "Hey everyone, We made something cool the other day, and we wanted you to have it. Here’s a special unreleased acoustic version of Final Masquerade. Stripping it down to bare bones brought the sentiment of the song right to the surface. Thanks for all your support over the past couple months – we hope you enjoy the song."[7]
A promotional CD containing an acoustic version of the song dates back to January 13, 2015, the same date as the private acoustic performance at LP Underground HQ, where an acoustic version of "Final Masquerade" was performed.
Remix
On December 24, 2014, several members from the Linkin Park Association community teamed up to release a remix album of The Hunting Party titled Viscera. The album was later released to the LP Underground on June 18, 2015 after the band received the full rights to distribute the album. The remix of "Final Masquerade" was done by Lizzi Cloverman and minuteforce. The instrumental version of the remix was released February 28, 2015.
Tracklist
CD Single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Final Masquerade | Linkin Park | 3:40 |
| 2 | Until It's Gone (Live at Rock am Ring) | Linkin Park | 3:50 |
Digital Single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Final Masquerade | Linkin Park | 3:37 |
Acoustic Single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Final Masquerade (Acoustic) | Linkin Park | 3:50 |
US Internal CD
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Final Masquerade (Acoustic) | Linkin Park | 3:51 |
| 2 | Final Masquerade | Linkin Park | 3:38 |
| 3 | Rebellion | Linkin Park, Daron Malakian | 3:44 |
Music Video
| Video Credits[8] |
|---|
|
Artist Name: Linkin Park
Production Manager: Mario D'Amici |
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Masquerade | The Hunting Party | 3:37 | 2013-2014 | June 8, 2014 |
|
| Final Masquerade | Final Masquerade | 3:40 | 2013-2014 | September 20, 2014 |
|
| Final Masquerade (Official Video) | 5:04 | 2013-2014 | July 30, 2014 |
| |
| Final Masquerade (Acoustic) | Final Masquerade (Acoustic) | 3:50 | 2015 | February 18, 2015 |
|
| Final Masquerade (Instrumental) | The Hunting Party: Acapellas + Instrumentals | 3:40 | 2013-2014 | August 12, 2014 |
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| Final Masquerade (Acapella) | The Hunting Party: Acapellas + Instrumentals | 3:37 | 2013-2014 | August 12, 2014 |
|
Remix
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Masquerade: Lizzi Cloverman | Viscera | 3:59 | 2014 | December 24, 2014 |
|
| Final Masquerade: Lizzi Cloverman (Instrumental) | Viscera (Instrumentals) | 3:59 | 2014 | February 28, 2015 |
|
Live
"Final Masquerade" debuted at the Private Production rehearsal held in West Palm Beach, Florida, two days before the start of the Carnivores Tour in August 2014. It debuted to the public eye two days later on the first date of the Carnivores Tour, also in West Palm Beach. It was one of two new songs from The Hunting Party to debut on the Carnivores Tour, the other song being "Rebellion". When performed live, Mike plays keyboards throughout the song, as well as second guitar in the choruses.
In May 2015, the song was dropped from the setlists, which included festival performances. The song returned in June for their short tour in Mexico, in Monterrey and Mexico City, in the full U.S. Festival setlist.
Throughout 2014 and 2015, the song was performed acoustically at various events. There are two different live acoustic versions of the song: one performed at the 10th LPU Summit featuring Chester, Mike, and Brad (this version was also performed at the private Machine Shop Acoustic Set in January 2015) and a version featuring only Brad and Chester, performed at the 11th LPU Summit. Neither version is the same as the studio version of the acoustic rendition released in February 2015.
Promotion
Personnel
Linkin Park is
- Chester Bennington
- Rob Bourdon
- Brad Delson
- Phoenix
- Joe Hahn
- Mike Shinoda
Production
- Produced by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson
- "Final Masquerade" co-produced by Emile Haynie
- Lyrics & Vocals by Mike Shionda and Chester Bennington
- Background Vocals by Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Rob Bourdon, and Phoenix
- Additional Lyrics by Brad Delson
- Engineering by Ethan Mates and Mike Shinoda
- Digital editing by Josh Newell
- Assistant Engineer: Alejandro Baima
- Additional Assistant Engineers: Brendan Dekora and Jennifer Langdon
- Studio Electro Tech: Warren Willis
- Studio Drum Tech: Jerry Johnson
- Album Production Coordination: Ryan DeMarti
- Recorded at Larrabee Sound Studios, North Hollywood, CA
- Additional Recording at EastWest Studios and Glenwood Place Studios
- Mixed by Andy Wallace
- Pro Tools Engineered by Paul Suarez
- Assisted by Del Bowers
- Mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge
- Assisted by Rich Morales
Lyrics
| Album Version |
|---|
|
Tearing me apart with / the words you wouldn't say |
Gallery
Single
Benelux promo CD
Acoustic version
In Other Media
- "Final Masquerade" is featured in Linkin Park's 2014 videogame LP Recharge - Wastelands.
External Links
- Final Masquerade (Music Video): LPTV | MTV | LP FB
- Final Masquerade [Official Lyric Video]: LPTV | LP FB
- Final Masquerade (Guitar Center Sessions 2014) - Guitar Center
- Linkin Park - Final Masquerade (Official Spot)
References
- ↑ New Linkin Park Track: Asteroids - Newswire - Linkin Park Live, November 27, 2014
- ↑ Loudwire, June 2014
- ↑ Twitter, June 2014
- ↑ Twitter, June 2014
- ↑ Linkin Park Association, December 2015
- ↑ Facebook, February 2015
- ↑ Mike Shinoda: A Gift For You (Free Song), February 18, 2015
- ↑ Linkin Park - Leave Out All The Rest (2008) | IMVDb