Veilburner’s Newest Black Metal Mayhem Takes The Listener For An Unforgettable Wild Ride

Just when you think you’ve heard it all, Veilburner surprise you. Their new Transcending Obscurity Records release A Sire To The Ghouls Of Lunacy takes the listener on a wild ride through black metal mayhem that transcends any sort of limitations associated with that genre description. The band include effectively incorporated dynamic flourishes to their work, easily moving between harshly punishing chaos and more straightforward metal riffing with vocal work running on an ever shifting pitch laying atop the mixture.

Moving through the band’s latest work, there’s a narrative sense, which matches up to their previously demonstrated commitment to storytelling and trappings of aesthetic grandeur, but it’s more than just some first person lyrics thrown in here and there or a brief synth appearance making this work stand out. Each one of Veilburner’s tracks feels carefully constructed to both stand on its own and lead into the next, presenting a snapshot of various shades of chaos and destruction that you might not have even been aware of in the past. Following the music, there’s a gradual sonic descent into only further pits of hell as the band approach their crushing finale.

These tracks could be said to personify the feeling of the “villain” you love to hate — and maybe are supposed to despise — but only want more of. Spoiler alert: there’s no happy ending.

The fact that there’s nuanced storytelling at this level at all feels all the more impressive considering the utter fury of Veilburner’s work. They’ve taken a stylistic heading that normally heads a certain more abstract direction and turned it down the band’s own path, and the listener is along for the wild ride. The driver feels both welcoming and utterly sinister, making the question of what happens next while listening to A Sire To The Ghouls Of Lunacy feel that much more intriguing.

Importantly, this “musical narrative” doesn’t overshadow the band’s own raw musical prowess. It feels like they’ve dreamed of musical combinations that others haven’t, truly crafting something that feels fresh and stands all on its own. They’re obviously incredibly proficient in the ways of black and death metal and all its associates.

5/5 Stars

Listen below via Bandcamp. The full record releases December 28.