All Things Set Aside

Whilst 'technical deathcore' may be a label I'm inclined to hate, or at the very least get quickly bored of, I find myself strangely drawn to certain bands of the genre. I'm not sure whether it's the interesting complexities of the rhythms or the semi-ethereal keyboard/lead effects, but bands like Born of Osiris and Resist The Thought have recently become a source of curious intrigue for me. Probably due to one of my friend's obsession with them - I think the sound is becoming firmly burrowed in my brain! Illinois-based Veil of Maya are no exception. Their brand of intricate and vicious deathcore is nothing if not fascinating.

What I find most appealing about this album, is that it doesn't focus on the 'brutal' aspect. It lets the heft and weight shine naturally through the song structures, as opposed to bands like Rings of Saturn and Aegaeon, who are essentially trying to knock two shits out of the speakers using 'ub3r br00tality'. The production on "All Things Set Aside" is a marvel - garnering enough chaos without becoming one of those stale, over-produced pieces of plastic (*cough*Drewsif Stalin*cough*). Okay, the bass drum sound is annoying as all hell, but I can get over that. Onto the music...

Veil of Maya choose to introduce their debut full-length with thirty seconds of sporadic, dissonant guitar chords which are neither furious nor mild - not dissimilar from System of a Down. But as soon as we hit the one-minute mark: BOOM! That kind of stomping, intermittent groove is exactly the sort of sound you want to hear more and more of - making "The Uprising" the perfect instrumental to pave the way for the rest of the album. (Dear God, that high-pitched bass drum really is annoying!)

"Entry Level Exit Wounds" introduces us to the contrasting vocals of Adam Clemans. Whilst the sound he produces is well-rounded and controlled, he unfortunately has the bothersome habit of not pronouncing words...at all. Every "Rawr" sounds like the same "Rawr" as the last. It is a trait that plagues most deathcore acts, especially the lacklustre Bring Me The Hairspray. Though Clemans does have an impressive range; his deep growls being far more appealing than his raspy screams. The drums and bass work well together, if a little overshadowed by that fucking bass drum!

The guitar-work is where "All Things Set Aside" really shines. Fusing frenzied dissonant attacks with surprisingly melodic riffs and the occasional simplistic breakdown is a feat Marc Okubo and Bryan Ruppell have got down to a fine art. Just check out the ending to the title-track for a perfect mixture of those three marvellous elements.

"The Uprising", "Entry Level Exit Wounds", "Indefinite Bloodlust" and "Sever The Voices" are the definite highlights - showcasing an impressive array of catchy riffs and feverish blastbeats (the 1:06 mark in "Sever The Voices" being a particular stand out moment). Unfortunately, the rest just seem to fade into obscurity. I don't hide my view that deathcore rapidly becomes stale for me - and this debut album feels slightly too long. I couldn't believe that only half an hour had passed by the time the last track faded away!

"All Things Set Aside" certainly leans more towards technical death metal than full-on deathcore, but the hints at a more complex and melodious future are definitely there. In my opinion, they hit their peak with the phenomenal "[id]", but one mustn't forget the early work of a band who currently outshine the majority of their contemporaries.

But THAT FUCKING BASS DRUM!!!