Veilburner – The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom
Release Date: 15th November 2024
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Extreme Metal, Avant-Garde, Blackened Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal, Industrial Metal.
FFO: Ulcerate, Blut aus Nord, Akhlys, Oranssi Pazuzu, Deathspell Omega.
Review By: Rick Farley
Being grotesquely dissonant, strange, and off kilter while also being colossally heavy, engaging and remarkably coherent is no small feat for any band, let alone one that only contains two members. Pennsylvania’s Veilburner return for their newest venture into the fiery pits of an uncharted underworld. Mephisto Deleterio (music/production) and Chrisom Infernium (vocals/album design) unleash their seventh studio album of mutated death metal, The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom on November 15th, 2024, via Transcending Obscurity Records.
Containing seven tracks, each at exactly seven minutes in length, their seventh album The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom, is a masterclass in not only unorthodox music, but it’s also thematically and lyrically strong. The bands visuals, music, lyrics, sick album artwork (Luciana Nedelea), all wickedly come together to form one of extreme metal’s most polarizing entities. Otherworldly brutality.
Conceptually, the album celebrates the number seven which holds special significance throughout human history. “It has been revered in theology and the arts across many cultures over many eras, and observed as a recurring foundational number in the study of the natural world.”
The characters in Veilburner’s twisted universe continue their harrowing journey through the abyss on this record, which began with their previous album VLBRNR. I would suggest a deep dive into the bands catalogue, with it being absolutely full of incredible music.
The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom is a world eating shapeshifter with a churning, nauseating sense of being. It’s somehow disturbed, yet serene in its own filth, much like a serial killer who’s struck with remorse each and every time. There is a cohesive awareness of chaos that seems so unorthodoxly terrifying, but still somehow structured that it could seemingly be no other way.
Everything makes perfect sense in this world of spiralling eeriness, discordant atmosphere, and unconventional arrangements. The guitars are heavy, jangly, and turbulent, coming through with a hookiness that sometimes feels unnatural but still works remarkably well. You’ll assuredly be involuntarily banging your head into a wall. The mesmerizing vocals range from phlegm filled gurgles, low gutturals, screeches, alien like noises and everything in between. The vocal performance is nothing short of astounding. It’s brutally disgusting, manically deranged, and weird as fuck. The groove laden rhythm section foundationally is massive, giving each track room to explore freely while also being a crazed part of the mysterious mayhem. Ridiculously fast blast beats, schizophrenic fills and unhinged virtuosity add to the brilliance of the duo’s ability to craft album after album of sickening excellence that most bands could only dream of.
Ill Visions of Hex-Shaped Hiss, Behead the Howling Spirit currently stands as my favourite track, this could however change many times over since the entirety of the record is amazing. The songs underbelly is hellish death metal, but with progressive riff structures that combined with ghostly melodies and repulsive vocals creates an uneasy atmosphere that begs you to be mortified while you relish with deranged glee. Pulsing deep bass, bendy leads and a piercing note sustained overtop is nerve-shredding while it pummels you with commanding precision. The stomach turning main riff revisited at just over the six-minute mark, with gurgling low growls, epitomizes how this record is both hypnotic and utterly grievous.
Woe Ye’ Who Build these Crosses…And Those Who Will Serve Us Death stands as the albums most traditional death metal structured track. It rips and tears through with visceral violence. Galloping riffs, fast tempos with industrial touches brutalizes for the first two minutes. The mid-section is dramatic, foggy guitars and deep spacey, nearly spoken vocal resets the mood to gloomy. Another quasi traditional thrashy riff pick the pace back and continues the straightforward aggression the rest of the way.
The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom is a vicious, ethereal album that you must patiently experience to see its true gifts. It creeps and slowly burrows its way into your subconscious like a pus filled maggot. Once fully infested, your movement of thoughts seem to no longer belong to you. This is a record that some will find deeply disturbing, not understanding its true beauty, but those of us who already know or those that are open to nerve wrecking extremes will be rewarded with a legitimate masterpiece. Veilburner could very well have released the album of the year. 
(5 / 5)
