AFGM: HEAVY T.O. 2012: Veil of Maya

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

HEAVY T.O. 2012: Veil of Maya

I was fortunate enough to hit up the 2011 edition of HEAVY T.O. and even purchased the tickets before the band were announced. For some reason, I had a feeling it was going to be a good year :-)

Now, for these articles, I usually throw around some opinions and constructive criticisms. I'm going to keep all feelings aside and just report on some need to know facts about these bands to make your experience at the festival a little more enjoyable. If you know of someone going to the festival, pass the articles along and get them just as stoked as we are! For today, AFGM brings you VEIL OF MAYA!

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"The Chicago based VEIL OF MAYA encompasses the good old American blue collar work ethic and have definitely taken the hard road to success grinding it out on the road through countless tours over the years, but now that backbreaking schedule is paying off tenfold. This quartet are one of the few very bands that can authentically mix elements of progressive metal, melodic death metal, thrash and hardcore brutality together effectively, all while keeping the listener constantly interested with baited breath wondering just what is coming next. This is exactly why they will have a career for years to come." -Sumerian Records

(Photo courtesy of...)

VoM consists of:

Marc Okubo - Guitar | Sam Applebaum - Drums | Brandon Butler - Vocals | Dan Hauser - Bass

"VEIL OF MAYA's dynamic second full-length album, id, was met with rave reviews and quickly caught the attention of the underground with it's refreshing and unique approach." -Sumerian Records

Now I have seen these guys act as support for many bands on tour that I have purchased tickets to. At first, I was convinced that these guys would be out of my league/too heavy/not the right scene. I gave the guys a chance and threw on the first track ("Wounds") off the album "The Common Man's Collpase".

Needless to say I became a fan instantly of the instruments, but the vocals were not over impressed. I guess it was one of those moments where you'll have to revisit the band again to maybe have it catch in. "id" was my breaking point where I couldn't turn away from the album. It was solid from start to finish and got me all pumped up in early 2012 when VoM announced their third album "Eclipse"!

(Photo courtesy of...)

Like I stated previously, VoM will be touring in support of their latest album to date, "Eclipse", which was released on February 28th, 2012 via Sumerian Records:

1. 20/200

2. Divide Paths

3. Punisher

4. Winter Is Coming Soon

5. The Glass Slide

6. Enter My Dreams

7. Numerical Scheme

8. Vicious Circles

9. Eclipse

10. With Passion and Power

(*Produced by Periphery's Misha Mansoor)

(Photo courtesy of Sinestra Studios)

The third album in their collection was well received by many in the prog/metal industry. The first two albums from this four piece were impressive enough to warrant and welcome some of these great reviews:

"Occasionally things feel a little slapped together, though. I loved the clean break in “Vicious Circles”, and would have loved to seen it expanded, but it came out of nowhere on the heels of a fast metal section, and ended much too soon with a return into riffage. While their energy and interest in branching out are admirable, it leaves some interesting ideas in the dust sometimes. Another sticking point is the vocals-while the instrumentalists might be delivering an impressive performance, vocalist Brandon Butler’s approach is generic and an ever-present reminder of the band’s deathcore roots. For a band that seems interested in exploring new horizons, his presence seems intent on keeping things digestible to the mall-metal crowd.

Eclipse manages to work because of its reluctance to slow down and take a breath, but it’d be interesting to see the Chicago quartet take some time to explore their sound next go-around. For a band that manages to accomplish so much with a limited crew, it’d be great to see how far these guys can push things. Consider Eclipse a tasty appetizer before the main course." -Metal Blast

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(Photo courtesy of...)

"'Eclipse' starts off with an introductory track '20/200'. The minute long track is a huge foreshadowing of what the rest of the album is going to be like. '20/200' starts off with a mysterious sort of sonority that morphs into the band seconds later. The listener is instantly exposed to guitars and drums that are heavily using poly-rhythms. It has the signature Veil of Maya sound which makes a triumphant return in 'Eclipse'. '20/200' leads into the second track 'Divide Paths' which is nothing short of incredible.”Eclipse” is a lot more melodic than their previous releases. The synth melodies keeps the listener interested and provides fantastic accompaniment alongside the chugging and breakdowns. Veil of Maya’s breakdowns can not be topped by any other band. They are so perfectly manufactured with the heavy guitar tone and thick drum sound. I feel that the bass sometimes gets lost at times, but it eventually pulls through. The song 'Eclipse' was one of my favorite songs on the album. The instrumental tune showed how Veil of Maya can be just as sophisticated without all the vocals and blasting drums. Other songs that really stood out to me were 'The Glass Slides' and 'With Passion and Power'.

Veil of Maya really haven’t changed up much of their style or sound which is actually a good thing. They have been incredibly consistent throughout their years as a band. If you are into Volumes, Meshuggah, and/or The Faceless, Veil of Maya is worth your time checking out. 'Eclipse' only lasts twenty eight minutes, which is pretty short for a full length album. I can’t argue with the saying that good things come in small packages. If you were a fan of '[id]' then you will love 'Eclipse'. Overall, 'Eclipse' has an incredible playback value and Misha Mansoor (producer) did a fantastic job. 'Eclipse' scored a 9.5/10. It’s a good thing Veil of Maya didn’t review themselves. I think that a score of 20/200 seems a little bit too low for this high quality production." -Real Metal Reviews