The Pitch: Pennsylvania-based black and death metal duo Veilburner drop another experimental new album via Transcending Obscurity Records. FFO: Schammasch, Aenaon, Entropia
What I Like: I became a fan of Veilburner in a big way with their 2016 album The Obscure Rite. Here was a black metal band equal parts vicious technicality and unabashed experimentation. But I daresay they have only drank deeper of the Kool-Aid with A Sire To The Ghouls Of Lunacy. The avant-garde elements have truly taken over, as on the macabre waltz of "Abattoir Noir." Amidst the flurry of ever-shifting blastbeats and impressive shredding is a haunting conjuration of evil and insanity. In a manner somewhat similar to Entropia, the fellas in Veilburner like to combine psychodelic guitars and progressive song structures with more traditional black metal tropes.
Vocals range from bitingly grim snarls to prophetic spoken word and chanting. Stylistically, riffs incorporate everything from rock solos to Deathspell Omega-esque passages of spiraling madness complete with hammond organ. "Glory Glory Grotesque" even has a very Deftones-y groove around the midpoint. The opening track, "Introvertovoid," provides an excellent cross-section of all of these elements...and also how well they strangely come together. Despite being such a daunting patchwork of styles (or perhaps because of this) at over 7 minutes long, the song never gets old and each movement flows seemlessly into the next. It's an impressive feat to behold.
Critiques: More of a disclaimer. I was not in love the first time around. It took some time for compositions to really sink in, and my opinion of the music now is vastly changed from the first listen.
The Verdict: A Sire To The Ghouls Of Lunacy is not only an incredible album; it's one that unfolds and evolves further with every subsequent listen. For that reason, it warrants multiple attempts before making a judgement call. That said, I highly recommend putting Veilburner in your queue right now and giving it a solid week. You won't be disappointed.
Flight's Fav's: Introvertovoid, Panoramic Phantoms, Upstream and Parallel
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
SUBSCRIBE to our Trench Talk Podcast on iTunes, Castbox, YouTube, and BitChute. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.