Veil of Maya-[id]

Out of the much maligned deathcore movement, Veil of Maya are often held up as an example of how to do deathcore "right". Their self-produced debut "All Things Set Aside" and aggressive touring got them picked up by the ubiquitous Sumerian Records. Their follow-up album 'The Common Mans Collapse' still is one of the best -core releases around. Guitarist Mark Okubo's does the work of three guitarists, imprinting his unique style of angular riffing and intricate melodies, dominating the band and making it what it is.

[id] is VoM's attempt to further explore the guitarwork of Okubo while adding some new elements to keep things fresh. While the riffage on this album is by-in-large very interesting and satisfyingly technical, the brevity of some of the songs and weak vocals on the album do hold it back some, along with, predictably enough, too many break-downs. Yes, the album is over very quickly indeed, clocking in at a scant 27 minutes. While this helps keep this moving along without becoming stale it would be interesting if some of the ideas on the album were explored further. For example, Resistance the 6th track has an excellent keyboard melody and some ambiance over some fairly standard polyrhythmic chugging. It really adds a lot to the section and definitely warrants a bigger inclusion on the album.

One improvement from previous albums (and a step up from most metal at the moment) is the bass work. With the addition of former Born of Osiris bassist Matt Pantelis, Okubo has found someone equally as skilled in their instrument as he is. Pantelis adds that extra bit of flavour to the album in his basslines, with counterpoint runs and some unique takes on Okubo's riffs, especially in songs like Mowlgi, The Higler, Namatse and Conquer. Pantelis seems to be immune to the slavery that most metal bassists have with regards to the guitar, following it wherever it goes.

Drumming provided by Sam Applebaum is a solid backing to the two guitarists and varied enough in itself not to be robotic or boring. Vocals however, fail to add anything new to the sound, easily being the most generic and disposable element of the album. Brandon Butler has two distinct styles, a high shriek and a guttural growl, often used in unsion to try and add some extra brutality. Unfortunately, his additions don't really stand out in any special way.

Production by Michael Keene of The Faceless is very flat and lifeless. While some people think this approach adds to the music, it often comes off as irritating and too sharp. The kicks are overly clicky, the snare is obviously sampled and limp, guitars are bog standard, with the surprisingly high in the mix bass really being the only highlight of the production.

Overall, Veil of Maya provide a solid and cohesive album which doesn't stray too far from their sound but still sounds reasonably fresh despite it's sometimes breakdown heavy nature.