VEIL OF MAYA – [m]other

VEIL OF MAYA – [m]other
Release Date: 12th May 2023
Label: Sumerian Records
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Progressive Metal, Djent, Synthwave, Progressive Metalcore, Deathcore, Metalcore.
FFO: After the Burial, Periphery, Born of Osiris.
Review By: Eric Wilt

One of the most crushing moments from any album of the last twenty years occurs on Veil of Maya’s third album, 2012s Eclipse. At the 2:03 mark of the song Punisher, a person can be heard talking about the band. The speaker says, “All they have is just…” and then he imitates a djent run. The speaker was obviously meaning to belittle Veil of Maya with this quip, but then the music comes back in playing the exact djent run the speaker had just imitated. On top of being an absolutely pulverizing riff, it’s also a big middle finger to anyone who would question Veil of Maya’s music or the direction in which their music goes. This attitude has done Veil of Maya well over the years, and although they’ve followed their muse to places that I didn’t exactly want to go with them, they’ve always unapologetically done exactly want they’ve wanted, and with [m]other, I think they’ve found a perfect balance of the different sides of what they do.

The opening track, Tokyo Chainsaw, is classic Veil of Maya. Heavy-as-nails djent riffs, big bass drops, pummeling drums, and crushing vocals that all add up to a song that feels like Veil of Maya in any era. Over the years, the band has expanded their sound to bring in a variety of elements such as clean vocals and programmed/electronic instruments. For my money the deathcore by way of djent style from their first three Sumerian albums is the best version of Veil of Maya. In addition to Tokyo Chainsaw, Lost Creator also brings that deathcore sound of old, albeit mixed with the synth music of their latter career.

The rest of the album is really enjoyable, but it is Veil of Maya following their muse in a wider variety of directions than they did early on. Artificial Dose, [re]connect, and Disco Kill Party feature big melodic choruses full of hooks and clean singing. Godhead features some industrial influenced parts that remind me of some of the more well-known industrial bands from 90s MTV. Mother Pt. IV begins with an electronic drum beat and pop sensibilities that return throughout the song. While Synthwave Vegan doesn’t really feature any synthwave at all (although it does contain one of the sicker breakdowns on the album).

On [m]other, Veil of Maya still brings the goods. While it is not Eclipse part 2, like I would like to hear from them, it is still full of superheavy djent riffs and memorable songwriting, and even with the continued addition of the clean vocals and electronic instrumentation, Veil of Maya is still putting out music that is better than 3/4s of the bands playing a similar style of metal.

(4 / 5)