In case you’ve been caught unawares, Veil of Maya have followed through with their promise of a new album this year! Going by the name of “False Idol”, the new LP is out now! Merch and baubles are available to those who CLICK HERE.
Right off the bat, it bears saying that VoM have continued their previously set path of evolution. Same as with the band’s previous album “Matriarch”, where Veil of Maya really began to shift their sound, this will likely be a divisive album for longtime fans of the band. If you’re expecting what Veil of Maya used to be with albums such as “The Common Man’s Collapse”, “id”, or even all the way back to “All Things Set Aside” – you will be sorely disappointed. But that’s what happens when artists evolve and adapt. Things change. On the other hand, by that merit, I’m sure many of you will enjoy this effort a great deal!
“False Idol” comes energized with a deadly focus and a technologically themed modern edge, addressing a range of topics from current events to intense introspection, the nature of mortality, and beyond. This makes for an interesting and somewhat dark experience when matched with the music itself.
The album opens with quite the bite after the calm of “Lull”. “Fracture” is a track that backs what the song title implies. It leaves the album cracked wide open with sharp delivery and rhythmically oriented heaviness and also introduces the record’s first moments of clean singing before plunging the ears six feet under once more with a spooky bit.
This isn’t 1984 but “Doublespeak” is a great track within its own right. That’s most likely why it and its sister track “Overthrow” served as the singles for “False Idol”. They provide some tasty, technical riffs matched with catchy hooks from the band’s singer. These are followed in the tracklisitng by the third single “Whistleblower”, serving as an end to a trilogy of sorts. This number hits especially hard with the grooves only to be smoothed out by a massive chorus.
Moving through this album is an experience, more or less, guaranteed to be filled with enjoyable moments for fans of the style. Some of my personal favorites, aside from those already mentioned, would have to be “Pool Spray” with its seamless transitions between gargantuan grooves and one of the best choruses on the album, “Graymail” which has some of the best songwriting and moments of tension on “False Idol”, “Tyrant” as it was immediately apparent it would bring some more traditional VoM elements into the fold – opening with shrill dissonance before the the instrumental corps really kicked in, and “Echo Chamber” keeps getting stuck in my head. Every number has something special stowed away for fans.
Although, this likely won’t be everyone’s cup of metallic tinged tea. As mentioned before, Veil of Maya is a much different beast now than they once were. This lends itself to many lighter moments and what may be much more of an “overproduced” feeling for some. On the opposite end of that extreme, moments of this album may seem less sticky than those of “Matriarch”. For example, it took awhile longer for the lead single “Overthrow” to stand out in my ears than “Mikasa” from the previous album. It also wouldn’t be a stretch to compare and contrast this album with the recent work of contemporaries and label mates Periphery. Despite any squabbling or negativity over “False Idol”, it’s certainly beyond a great record within it’s own right.
In conclusion, it’s Veil of Maya. If you’re expecting this band to do a bad job at just about anything, you probably don’t know this band very well. They’ve delivered the goods once again with “False Idol”! There’s plenty of replay value, jaw droppings, and fun times to be had here. You can sample for yourself through the full album stream and music video provided up above. Once again, if you’re interested in supporting the band directly, you may do so by CLICKING HERE. Enjoy!
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