[id]

Album review

On their third album, [Id], Veil of Maya deliver yet another jarring blast of incredibly technical deathcore. There’s a lot here that you may have heard before; heavy, metallic “djent” chugging, breakdowns lurking around every corner, and the ubiquitous bass drop. While it does fall into some of the genre’s clichés, it also manages to be wildly progressive. The quality of the playing immediately stands out, with lightning fast, math-metal-inspired guitar work that pushes the breakdowns to be more than meat-headed, single-note chug fests. Odd time changes and twisting riffs come from every direction, dazzling the listener without making them run out to buy a book on music theory to understand what’s going on. Also astounding is the fact that the album clocks in at less than 30 minutes, making it so every song gets in and out without overstaying its welcome with extraneous filler, avoiding the mental fatigue from exposure to the deadly levels of blastbeats. With [Id], Veil of Maya make every moment count, creating an experience that’s exciting and intense, but just short enough to leave you wanting to give the album another spin.

© Gregory Heaney /TiVo