It feels like forever ago, but it only was a few years ago that most of us were huddled at home, unable to do the normal things we would do, isolated from loved ones and friends as a global pandemic took hold. We’re largely back to normal now, though nowhere near out of the woods, and those times we endured can feel like an extended mental torture session where we were pushed to our psychological limits.
The birth of Dreamless Veil came out of that time, a musical project that started as a sort of solo project for Psycroptic drummer Dave Haley as he endured the same dismal times as we all did without his normal creative outlet. He recruited Inter Arma/Artificial Brain vocalist Mike Paparo to write lyrics and lay down his unmistakable pipes and brought in Dan Gargiulo, also of Artificial Brain and late of Revocation, to contribute guitars, bass, synth, and vocals to what turned into a thunder-storming project. The result is “Every Limb of the Flood,” a concept piece that centers on a character named Grief who takes this journey only to discover he’s poisonous to himself and other people. Each track and all 36 minutes are spent telling the being’s volatile tale as the decision to potentially end his suffering looms large.
“Dim Golden Rave” starts wonderfully off kilter, guitars spiraling as anguished cries emerge, the heat giving off a late-summer vibe, which is fitting. Leads swirl as the vocals echo, a melodic gust and spacious melodies churning into space. “A Generation of Eyes” stirs in black metal heat, punishing as the reverbed vocals spin in your head, lush, yet speedy dashes making blood race. Guitars bleed and gust as blasts crush bones, hitting a tornadic force that disappears into sound. “Saturnism” has a savage start, fiery punches thrown, strangeness tearing into the cosmos, the storm growing and suddenly consuming everything whole. Howls crush as cold winds emerge, the power rattling to a smearing finish. “The Stirring of Flies” is dizzying as guitars tangle, throaty growls create a gale force wind, the playing then warps brains. Guitars go off as a cavernous spaciousness is achieved, the terror firing, fading.
“Cyanide Mine” has guitars carving and melodies gusting, shrieks aching before a mammoth riff sends you for a loop. The vocals continue to retch, charging with vicious intent, suddenly halting and letting guitars drip like a psychedelic syrup. The title track assaults with animalistic violence, crushing wills, the growls tunneling into the sides of skulls. An atmospheric push pulls back on the force but not the intensity, melodies flood generously, and wild cries slide into a diabolical fade. “Glossolalia” is ominous, Paparo’s cries wrenching, eerie streams making your flesh crawl. The playing floods the senses and stimulates nerve endings, chilling before dumping molten rock, barreling into a mind-altering reality. Closer “Dreamless” arrives amid crashing drums, progressive black metal prowess, and growls ripping at exposed wounds. Howls gurgle as the room begins to spin, the warmth increasing and growing increasingly volatile, sizzling and boiling, the guitars rushing off the edges before a serenity claims the final moments as its own.
At the end of “Every Limb of the Flood,” Grief becomes one of us, tired of having had to endure a string of hardships and just wanting to fade away forever. The timeframe in which Dreamless Veil created this music was during a span when it seemed like our lives never would return to normal, and in a way they haven’t. This album pulls from one of the darkest periods of recent memory and helps us relive those days over eight thunderous, thought-provoking crushers that reminds us we survived somehow, some way.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/dreamlessveil
To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/collections/dreamless-veil-every-limb-of-the-flood
For more on the label, go here: https://www.relapse.com/
Meat Mead Metal 