Review: Metal Band Master Sword Release New Concept Album Inspired by Majora’s Mask

Master Sword, a band formed to pay homage to the Legend of Zelda series, has finally dropped their latest album Toying With Time. After raising over $25k USD on Kickstarter, they’ve brought the haunting tales of the Nintendo 64 classic Majora’s Mask to the metal scene with their own power and progressive spin. This album has been in the works for a long time, with multiple songs being started 7+ years ago, and the band has worked hard to get it ready for our listening enjoyment today.

Toying With Time “contains eight progressive/power metal songs all revolving around stories and characters from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask,” Master Sword bandleader Matt Farkas tells Zelda Dungeon. “This is a labor of love many, many years in the making, and we couldn’t be prouder of the results. I truly believe this is head and shoulders above anything else we’ve written before, both from a songwriting standpoint as well as a technical standpoint, as these songs were recorded, mixed, and mastered by professionals from start to finish.”

The tracklist of Toying With Time is as follows:

  1. “The Salesman”
  2. “Dance of the Demon”
  3. “How You Hide”
  4. “Shadows of the Mind”
  5. “My Last Breath”
  6. “Toying With Time”
  7. “Son of Stone (Winter’s Requiem)”
  8. ‘Child of the Night”

A lyric video for the title track “Toying With Time” was released earlier this week.

Toying With Time is available to purchase digitally or on CD at Bandcamp right here, as well as available to buy/stream on all major digital platforms.

Master Sword was kind enough to provide us with Toying With Time early so we could review it. We’ve compiled three takes from Zelda Dungeon writers, who have shared their thoughts and feelings on this noteworthy album.

Josh

I’ve never been certain as to what has created the often-found union between metal genres and video games, but I’m here for it. So when I heard that Master Sword was releasing an album inspired entirely by Majora’s Mask, my favorite game ever, I naturally jumped at the opportunity to give it a spin.

At first listen, I was taken immediately by the technical precision of the band members. Every contribution, from the sharp fluidity of Lily Andromeda’s voice, to the pinpoint picking of Matt Farkas and Kojo Kamya, to the pocket foundation laid by bassist Will Lopez and drummer Andy Stark, showed a clear prowess in their instruments and in music as a whole. While there were some clear motifs connected to Majora’s Mask, like the “Song of Healing” riffs woven into “Shadows of the Mind,” I allowed my first playthrough to simply take in the music at face value before I dived into the Zelda elements.

In fact, the only song that lyrically screamed, “I’m about a Zelda game,” was the titular track, and even then it would require knowledge of Majora’s Mask and its themes to hear the references so explicitly. Musically, there are often so many different parts dancing harmoniously with each other that it can be hard to extract any direct nods to songs from the game. The music doesn’t limit itself to a pigeonholed version of metal, either. From power ballads, to 11-minute-long rhapsodies, to sludgy, “djentish” metal, this album has it all.

After listening to the album a few times, I think my favorite song is the final one, “Child of the Night.” I find it the catchiest, and a fitting, epic end to an album that has consistency in its delivery and a refined mastering.

 

Aubriel Eastman

I’m always on the lookout for creative music. Bonus points if it’s inspired by The Legend of Zelda. Extra bonus points if it’s inspired by Majora’s Mask, which is in my top three games of the series and one of my favorite games of all time.

While I’m not terribly familiar with metal, I felt that Toying With Time was a great starting point to get my feet wet in the genre. It does an excellent job mingling Zelda with power metal, a genre tonally different from what you usually find in the series, and provides the listeners with a musically fresh concept. This album is not a cover album. Rather, it takes its own approach by composing entirely original songs with lyrical inspiration and the occasional nod to motifs from the game. After giving it a listen, I’m excited to share my thoughts on each of the songs!

Right off the bat, the album starts strong with “The Salesman.” The haunting lyrical inspiration taken from Majora’s Mask is clear, although the song stands on its own merits if one has no prior knowledge of the game. I thought the bells that chime in intermittently were a nice touch, as they made me think of the infamous clocktower in which said salesman resides. This song gives me the vibes of a Halloween movie from the ‘80s, and I mean that in the best way possible. The next few songs, “Dance of the Demons” and “How You Hide,” are fantastic as well, expounding upon the musical ideas of the first in a satisfying way. They also include some pretty sick guitar riffs and harmonies.

“Shadows of the Mind” echoes back to the game by referencing the “Song of Healing” in the intro, and “My Last Breath” introduces a serene and mystical sound that we haven’t heard yet in the album. I loved the instrumentation of this one, as well as the soulful lyrics which make it feel like the rising action of a story. “Toying With Time” plays with effects in the beginning to create the impression of distorted time as a reference to the time travel aspects of the game. I thought the way Master Sword implemented these effects was really well done as a creative reference to the story. “Son of Stone” is extremely catchy and really emulates the feeling of being a lone adventurer; the wind sound effects brought to mind the wintery atmosphere of the Snowhead Region. And “Child of the Night” caps everything off with energetic guitar and vocals, tying everything together as the epic climax of the album.

The compositional quality of this album is fantastic, and it really shows that the members of the band put their all into performing it. Each song on this album feels unique and fresh, while also flowing together to craft a cohesive musical idea. It was really hard to decide a favorite, because every time I listened to a track I thought, “It’s got to be this one.” I think “My Last Breath” ultimately takes the cake for me because of its musical storytelling. I believe that this album is worth a listen for any fans of Majora’s Mask.

 

Kat Vadam

So, I’ll be honest here. I’ve listened to Master Sword since I first stumbled upon their first full-length album Shadow and Steel in 2018, when I initially joined the writing team here at Zelda Dungeon. Their follow-up, The Final Door, is an album that lives rent free in my head; “Forgotten in Stone” is a song I hold near and dear to my heart as a melody I sang to my daughter to soothe her cries at night. I. LOVE. Master Sword.

To say that I have anxiously been awaiting the release of Toying With Time is putting it… rather mildly. Imagine the meme of Snow White with her face pressed against the window of the dwarves’ house, her breath steaming up the glass, with the caption, “Packidge.” That’s been me since the Kickstarter for this album was announced. Backed. Signed. Done. Take my money.

And now it’s here, and I am ready to once more be transported into the lands of my favorite game series. This time, we head to Termina, a cursed land beneath a falling moon, and meet a sly, little man with a bag of secrets and an alluring smile. Time to hear his tales.

Time to don the mask.

Setting the stage is the opening track, “The Salesman,” and immediately, it feels like I have been warped into a twisted circus. Haunting melodies of big-tops and never-ending rides, pounding beats of a steady drum coax my own heart to keep pace, and the beautiful voice of Lily Andromeda immediately speaks of that man who knows the fate of the world and invites me to join. And he knows I will join, with poignant lyrics like, “Will you come crawling back to me to see beyond that door?”

Yes. Yes, I will.

As the album carried on, I tried my hardest to take notes, with very important words of wisdom including, “And now, we have entered into the realm of power metal. Thank you. Speed, thump, speed, thump, pound, pound, pound, ‘WELCOME HOME’,” during “Dance of the Demon.” Or, “WHAT IS THAT GLORIOUS, SCREAMING ‘80S GUITAR?!” Or, my personal favorite nugget of choice, “Guh. I’m done. That’s it. I’m crying.” Honestly, by somewhere around 1:30 of Track 5, “My Last Breath,” my notes just stopped. I couldn’t do it, because I was fully immersed in the story. Elements of power, speed, symphonic, and progressive metal all meticulously executed across eight songs, propelled into the stratosphere by vocals somehow simultaneously ethereal and demanding of attention. This album deserved every ounce of me, undivided, and I could not pull myself away.

Easily my favorite song of the album is Track 7, “Son of Stone,” a song that gives me nostalgic flashbacks of such classics as “The Neverending Story” – if that song was played at a horror show. Yet, while the music begins like a beacon of hope after three days of dark descent, the lyrics tell a much sadder tale of a vast, cold winter and an endless journey searching for anyone left to fight. Our hero stands alone.

But our hero stands.

Overall conclusion is this: are you a fan of Zelda, a fan of Majora’s Mask, or a fan of metal? Or, are you just looking for something new? Toying With Time has something for everyone, and if you want to check out one or two songs, great! You won’t be disappointed.

But where it’s at is the legend this album weaves, from Track 1 to Track 8. Seriously. Dig out your Walkman, pop on your old headphones, snap this album in place, and hit play. Then just sit back and find yourself carried through the trials of a hero, two lovers torn apart, ancient unspoken secrets, and a land doomed to succumb to the fires of a crashing moon.

And don the mask with me.

Master Sword, almost ten years since the release of their debut EP Epoch, continues to demonstrate their growth and emergence at the critical junction between rock music and gaming culture. They truly are more than the sum of these parts and their music is much more than just elaborate covers. Whether you’re a fan of Majora’s Mask, or a fan of power metal, you’re going to love this no matter what.

Toying With Time is out now! You can purchase the album on their Bandcamp, or stream it on all major digital platforms. You can also find Master Sword on their website, or follow them on YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Have you listened to the album? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!

Review copies of Toying With Time provided to Zelda Dungeon by Master Sword.

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