When Sumerian Records first began it was Born Of Osiris, After The Burial, The Faceless, and Veil Of Maya that made the roster so alluring. Mind altering metal, infused with digestible death metal clashed with Meshuggah’s tone and polyrhythmic intellect made for four incredible acts that all seemed to be interconnected with producers, cities, members and it was evident that a new scene was emerging. Those acts cemented themselves at the turn of what was to be the future landscape of modern metal.
Fast forward almost ten years since Common Man’s Collapse and Veil Of Maya is more punctual than ever. With their split of founding frontman Brandon Butler, Matriarch saw latest addition Lukas Magyar meddle with melodic tones that were never tapped into on the band’s prior records. Not only was the change and the development of the vocal department refreshing, but it was also executed well to a point where the band was still respected as they transitioned slightly from their roots.
On their latest release, Veil Of Maya is a force to be reckoned with. Marc Okubo’s skills on the guitar have once again been brought to the forefront, highly reminiscent of Josh Travis’ efforts on the latest Emmure record, as they splice from speaker to speaker, layering endless counts of riffs sprinkling each track. The performance of the group is as tight as ever and the entire release is incredibly punctual in its runtime, giving the listen no more than it deserves and trimming any excess fat.
It’s worth noting the melodic aspect of the band still exists, and is produced much more effectively than the group’s last attempt. It seems as if there is a larger emphasis on the brutality of each track, than the intricate beauty of melodic vocals, even though both are executed with serious attention to detail. What’s worth noting for those who’ve listened intently for years now, is that the change in direction that may have turned you off on the last batch of tracks may be the ones on this release that get you back on track.
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