This record opens on a strong start between ‘Tokyo Chainsaw’s’ dissonant spiral of mayhem, technicality and groove compared to ‘Artificial Dose’s’ formulaic metalcore chorus with face smashing jumpy, aggressive riff. A testament of what’s to come because when you let this band roam wild, they deliver tenfold. 

‘[Re]connect’ throws elements into the wind; with this track between the melodic guitar harmonies and the djent style riffs, it becomes a mashup of Periphery and Deftones in an oddly satisfying way. The drum grooves supplied by Sam Applebaum drive this song all the way to the finishing line, really pulling together this all round tight sounding track. It’s one of the lighter songs on this album, where heaviness is overlooked for melodic structure. 

‘Red Fur’ is carnage candy where Marc Okubo is concerned; the guitars are an oral masterpiece, in the chorus they’re a tunnel of ethereal waves whilst elsewhere they are choppy, and unhinged. Vocally, Lukas Magyar leans towards a tonal and melodic palette of R&B with his cleans, adding another dimension of flavour to an already certified hit. 

If you were seeking heavy and hard hitting tracks on your travels, then you are in for a treat. There’s not enough warning alarms that can brace you for ‘Vegan Synthwave’; chaos, urgency and earth shattering is the only way to describe the incessant breakdowns happening here, and pairing that with the unstoppable force that is Magyar and you have a match made in hell. Let alone the deathcore territory of ‘Godhead’s ending, Magyar’s vocals almost reach the very centre of the earth’s core with how low his gutturals are displayed – it could easily be the ‘into the hellfire’ of 2023. It’s clear he didn’t come here to play this time round.

‘Disco Kill Party’ is a more synth heavy song on this record and definitely earns the title of ‘dance metal’. During the more mellow sections, it definitely sounds like something Linkin Park would have released during their Meteora-era, and the there’s more of a display of Magyar’s honeysuckle soulful cleans, something in which he clearly excels. The record swiftly transitions to ‘Mother Pt. 4’ where synthwave-meets-prog; the rare definition of beauty in chaos. It starts off with a synth riff that sounds Stranger Things-esque in melody that smoothly transitions to the guitar, it’s delicate to the ears when the synth abruptly stops in parts. Magyar’s vocal performance shines in technicolor madness on this track between his emotive, ethereal cleans and the rageful intensity of his screams. 

We close out on two of the most surprising displays of character; ‘Lost Creator’ which follows suit in what ‘Godhead’ started, it has a mix of death metal elements before the song heads into the abyss between the rapid drumming and the guttural vocals that are often found in a genre that takes a black metal turn with tremolo guitars and the unholy shrieking screams. However, it’s the closer ‘Death Runner’ which hails light to an uncertain, melancholic violin solo that might have stolen the show for how creative this band has been with this record.

Overall, ‘[M]other’ is a record not to be slept on; an abundance of creativity has brought to life a collection of songs that are as destructive as they are ordered in chaos. They’ve proved they can deliver melodic charm, hellish screams and straight up disorder with synthwave charisma and R&B soul. There’s glimmers of the old Veil of Maya we’ve grown to love over the past decade but it’s fresh, modern and full of experimentation.

Veil of Maya has never felt so alive. 

SHANNON EACUPS

Right from the get-go, they make it known that they haven’t lost any of their groove, with ‘Poster Child’ crashing irresistible synths and bouncy palm-muted guitar patterns together in a sweet-yet-severe collision. ‘White Nile’ keeps the momentum rolling with luscious Egyptian tones, skulking and swerving in and out of the foreground in between bursts of sonic carnage. Both these opening tracks aptly prepare you for what lies ahead, but the further into this record you delve, the more you realise that this isn’t just your standard Born Of Osiris record. They’re growing.

There’s more melodic glory emanating from this record than any other in their back catalogue, and it takes their music into brand new territory. The rugged-yet-refined choruses of ‘Waves’ are a prime example of this, full to the brim with infectious characteristics sure to spread through a crowd like wildfire. ‘Love Story’ does something similar, with futuristic synths hovering in the background whilst the hook-laden guitar harmonies and vocal lines skyrocket. Then there’s the luscious brass tones concealed within the superb closer ‘Shadowmourne’, the gigantic chorus of ‘Threat Of Your Presence’, and the alluring, unforgettable title track; it’s all been so expertly crafted that it slots into their sound like it’s always been there.

For all Born Of Osiris purists, fear not – there’s still tonnes of unbridled aggression embedded within the album. The super low-tuned and groove-heavy ‘Crossface’, the unrelenting and nostalgic-sounding ‘In For The Kill’, the ominous rises and falls of ‘Lost Souls’, the venomous, seething rage within ‘Truth and Denial’, and every single song that surrounds them are full of the band’s signature tricks, all desperate to give your eardrums a battering. After fourteen tracks of being on the receiving end of those blows, you’ll find yourself psyching yourself up to get back in the ring and do it all over again.

This record is an evolution of the Born Of Osiris we’ve grown to love over the years; it’s one they’ve hinted at for the last few records, but never fully leaned into until now. The usual technical mastery and rich textural excellence runs through ‘Angel Or Alien’ like it always has, but the melodic element of their genetic make-up has never been so prominent. This is the most metalcore they’ve ever sounded, and that’s not meant as a negative at all.

They’ve had catchy choruses and singable riffs before, but not quite like this. All those moments sound bigger than ever, having found their balance as they comfortably and confidently walk the tightrope from barbarity to euphoria. This is still a relentless and unforgiving Born Of Osiris record on the surface and no one quite delivers frenzied tech-punishment quite like them, but there’s never been as many hooks to hang on to as there are here. You’ll find yourself continually reeled in by its charm, and that’s the real beauty of ‘Angel Or Alien’ – it’s a grower, and that power will work on both new and old fans alike. Yet another glistening jewel for their now blindingly bright crown.

DAVE STEWART

Thousand Below take to the stage first and do a decent job of recreating tracks from their recent debut album ‘The Love You Let Too Close’. They perform their songs admirably, but James Deberg’s vocals lack power and their brand of post-hardcore is a little too vanilla to leave a lasting impression among this line-up.

It doesn’t take long for Veil of Maya to warm up and as they kick into ‘Whistleblower’, the power of the instrumentals is like being hit by a backdraught. Marc Okubo’s djent-like guitar riffs pack a huge punch when locked in sync with Sam Applebaum’s powerful drumming and Dan Hauser’s low bass tones and once the three of them lock into time, they don’t fall out of it for a single moment of their set, staying watertight throughout an impressively technical sequence of songs.

The band’s latest album ‘False Idol’ continues the trend started by ‘Matriarch’, where more melody was added to the band’s sound, but as the album’s lead singles ‘Overthrow’ and ‘Doublespeak’ kick in, they’re not short of power either, engulfing the venue with massive tones. Not wanting to be outdone by the pristine performance of the musicians around him, vocalist Lukas Magyar manages to balance low, guttural screams with clean, melodic choruses admirably, rounding off a solid all-round performance.

The band strike a powerful image on stage; Magyar commands it well, prowling back and forth, with the sight of Hauser taming a massive seven string base provides a good metaphor for the set. The band often wrestle with large ideas, but their ability to tame them and harness their ideas into impactful songs makes for a thoroughly impressive, technically superb experience.
The bar may well have been set high, but as Dance Gavin Dance appear, there’s not a shred of pressure reflected in Will Swan’s typically stoic expression. Leading his bandmates into opener ‘Chucky vs. The Giant Tortoise’ he simply gets on with what he does best, laying out wonderfully infectious, groove-led guitar licks that dance off the guitar strings and move the entire audience’s feet as though the floor was suddenly red hot.

Will Swan has an iconic influence in the experimental post hardcore scene; not only has he managed to uncover three superb vocalists for his band over Dance Gavin Dance’s thirteen year career, but his network of touring musicians is also highly impressive. Eidola’s Andrew Wells and Hail The Sun’s Aric Garcia have both answered Swan’s call in the past and on this tour, Icarus the Owl frontman Joey Rubenstein drops in on rhythm guitar, as well as lending some impressive backing vocals.

Tilian Pearson enjoys one of his best performances to date, nailing every one of the expansive range of notes he employs. They’ve had their fair share of line-up changes in the past, but Pearson looks extremely well settled and having just completed their fourth album with the same line-up (something never before managed by Dance Gavin Dance), it’s clear that this consistency is paying dividends. With three records already in the bag, there’s enough ‘Tilian material’ to pad out the entire set and that’s how it plays out, with only ‘Me And Zoloft Get Along Fine’ making the cut from the older material. As good as the new material is, this old favourite gets the best response of the night, and it’s a shame we don’t get to hear more from the extensive Dance Gavin Dance vault during the course of the night.

Also disappointing is the lack of new material, given that production has just been wrapped up on album number eight. As nice as it would be to hear, it’s understandable why they’re keeping this under their hats; with so many people watching shows through their phone screens these days, the prospect of having the public’s first taste of new material be a poor-quality bootleg is not as compelling as waiting for a well produced, well marketed single launch instead.

They may not be a natural fit on paper, but Dance Gavin Dance and Veil of Maya complement each other well, providing the audience with an evening of technical superiority that’s on the one part blisteringly heavy and the next, infectiously groovy. Both bands are in their element on stage and it’s a pleasure to watch two bands at the top of their game entertain a crowd.

MARK JOHNSON

Last year they released their debut album ‘The Love You Let Too Close’ on Rise Records.

As for the other bands; Dance Gavin Dance will be releasing their upcoming yet to be titled eighth album later this year. This will follow up their 2016 effort ‘Mothership’ on Rise Records.

Meanwhile, Veil of May released their sixth album ‘False Idol’ last year on Sumerian Records.

MARCH
03 BIRMINGHAM Asylum
04 BRISTOL Marble Factory
05 NEWCASTLE Riverside
06 GLASGOW The Garage
07 MANCHESTER Academy 2
08 NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
09 LONDON Islington Academy

The band will be releasing their upcoming yet to be titled eighth album in 2018. This will follow up their 2016 effort ‘Mothership’ on Rise Records.

As for Veil of Maya, last month they released their sixth album ‘False Idol’ on Sumerian Records.

MARCH 2018
03 BIRMINGHAM Asylum
04 BRISTOL Marble Factory
05 NEWCASTLE Riverside
06 GLASGOW The Garage
07 MANCHESTER Academy 2
08 NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
09 LONDON Islington Academy

Not to be dissuaded though, Veil of Maya are back with phase two of this altered sound and ‘Overthrow’ signals an impressive upward trajectory. Magyar’s clean vocals integrate themselves into this track much more naturally, giving ‘Overthrow’ a fantastic sense of flow, helped on by huge amounts of djent-like groove in the instrumentals. It’s a healthy balance of melody, technicality and heaviness, making me very excited to hear more of the new record ‘False Idol’, out on October 20.