Veil of Maya "Eclipse" Review

My most anticipated metal album of 2012

Veil of Maya has been tearing it up since 2004, writing top-notch technical-yet-melodic metal, and Eclipse is no exception.  It’s been two years since the Chicago quartet’s last release, entitled [id], which was extremely well-received by fans and critics alike.  But if you thought [id] was good, just wait until you hear Eclipse.

Instead of being produced by Michael Keene of The Faceless, who produced Veil’s previous two albums, Eclipse was produced by Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor.  Marc Okubo and Misha had been in talks of working on a project together for a long time, and now that it has finally come to fruition, the results are very pleasing.  Veil continues to retain their trademark sound, but there is a hint of Periphery sprinkled throughout the album as well, in the form of synths and just the overall production value.

The album opens up with a short instrumental entitled “20/200”, which is essentially an extended breakdown, similar to “Pillars” off the band’s first Sumerian release, The Common Man’s Collapse.  While this is nothing extremely mind blowing, it is extremely heavy and is more than the simple “chug-chug” most bands use for breakdowns.

“Divide Paths” is the second song off of the album, and it continues Veil’s tradition of being extremely melodic while adding some insane technicality in the writing.  The third track, “Punisher”, is reminiscent of the band’s older releases, and is one of the highlights of the album.  It starts off with an insanely catchy, heavy riff, and just doesn’t let up.  The little audio sample (of what, I am not sure) is also a nice, hilarious touch.  It almost sounds as if someone is trying to describe what the guitars sound like in words.

“Winter is Coming Soon”, the fourth track on the album, might be my personal favorite.  The chaotic start, which then leads into an extremely melodic verse, is Veil of Maya at their finest.  The guitar work is top notch, and Sam Applebaum goes absolutely nuts on the drums.  It’s unfortunate that the song is so short (just above two minutes), but it’s fantastic while it lasts.

If “Winter is Coming Soon” isn’t my favorite song on this release, then “The Glass Slide” is.  This tune is very similar to “Mowgli”, a song off of [id], and even “The Uprising”, off their self-released full length “All Things Set Aside” (this is perhaps why the song was originally titled “The Third Uprising”).  “The Glass Slide” is by far Eclipse’s catchiest track, and is likely to become a staple of Veil’s live performances

Following “The Glass Slide” is “Enter My Dreams”, which sounds almost like a mix between Carnifex and Scar Symmetry.  While this is definitely one of the weaker tracks on the album, it is still a solid tune featuring some great guitar work.

The seventh song is titled “Numerical Scheme”, and I have mixed feelings about this one.  I’m not a big fan of the opening, and it takes a while to get going, but once it picks up steam, it features some of my favorite riffs on the album.

“Vicious Circles” was the first track that Veil of Maya released from Eclipse, and even though I have heard it hundreds of times already, it still holds up as a highlight of the album.  The lyrics are some of my favorite (“Messenger, when have you seen my face?  I will become like the wind.  A tyrant in disguise, a muse upon our eyes”), and the ending breakdown is brilliant; Again, a perfect blend of technicality and melodic song writing.

The title track is an instrumental, and while it’s nothing to write home about, it’s more than just one extended breakdown.  It is extremely melodic, and features some simple yet catchy drumming.

The album’s closer is entitled “With Passion and Power”, and it definitely ends Eclipse with a bang.  The instrumental work is frenetic, but calms down for a chorus that is perhaps the catchiest riff on the entire album.  The lyrics are also some of the albums best; all in all, this is definitely one of Eclipse’s best.

Something some fans may consider a flaw in this album is that Veil of Maya has always been known for their technical writing, but they seem to be leaning more towards the melodic side than technical side of writing as of late.  In a recent interview, Marc Okubo stated “if you’re a technical listener, you’ll still be intrigued by what’s going on, even if it’s not impossible to play”; this definitely true for Eclipse.  Veil of Maya’s first release, The Common Man’s Collapse, contained some insanely technical guitar work.  [id] deviated a little bit from this towards the more melodic side, and Eclipse continues this trend.  It is still a heavy, technical album, but it is no Common Man’s Collapse, which is one of the only complaints I have heard about [id].

All in all, this is a very solid release from Veil of Maya.  It is definitely better than [id], and very close to The Common Man’s Collapse.  This album is a perfect example of a band progressing and keeping things fresh, while still retaining their signature sound.  Eclipse belongs in any metal fan’s library, and I will definitely be listening to it for a long time to come.

A