(written by Islander)
The Indianapolis doom/sludge band Veilcaste took shape in 2010 under the name Conjurer, adopted their current name in 2020, and continued surging forward on their mission to crush the life out of listeners. With two albums released as Conjurer and three more as Veilcaste, they’ve assembled a very impressive (and very heavy) discography.
Now the band are moving toward the discharge of their fourth album as Veilcaste. The name of the new one is Hellward, and it’s set for release on September 4th. What we have for you today is the premiere of “Chains“, the third single from the album to emerge so far. It follows “Embedded“, which we premiered last April, and “Altar of Ecstasy“, which came out on July 10th.
Photo by Emily Burke/Detourist Photography
Here’s how Veilcaste introduce this new single:
Sludgy rager “Chains” displays Veilcaste’s roots in the metallic side of 90s alternative rock (Alice in Chains, White Zombie, L7). The track roars furiously down a dark road and through a polluted swamp before driving straight off a cliff into the void.
Lyrically, “Chains” is very bleak and angry. It begins by combining a dark lumbering surge of enormous hulking heaviness, bone-bruising beats, and an eerily quivering lead guitar. That opening foray creates moods of ominous menace and chilling strangeness, but the groove is so potent that it will get heads moving at the same time.
The vocals come in on top of that, venting the words in vicious snarls, rabid howls, and inflamed song. The music also monstrously heaves and groans, but the lead guitar rears its reptilian head again, slithering through the immense movements in the low end. Veilcaste also slow the pace and inflict a bleakly throbbing riff and ragged, lower-range vocals that add to the music’s turn toward dismal oppressiveness (we’re in that polluted swamp now).
When the band shift back toward the band’s first phase, you realize just how much those lumbering and battering grooves and that serpentine lead-guitar got stuck in your head. And when they slow the pace again, the lead guitar seems to ooze misery, and the reverberations of the wailing vocals seem to manifest a terrible torment. As the album’s name portends, it feels like we are being dragged hellward.
In short, the song is a heavy hitter on multiple levels, the fiery vocals are great, and it’s a very infectious beast too.
VEILCASTE is:
Chris Cruz – Drums
Dustin Mendel – Vocals
T Garrett O’Sha – Guitar
John Rau – Guitar & Vocals
Gabe Whitcomb – Bass
Additional Instrumentation:
Carl Byers – Keys on Altar of Ecstasy, 12 String & Feedback on Vore
Chris Cruz – Guitar Solo on Embedded
John Rau – Keys & 12 String on Anchored, Shaker on Hellward, Classical on I am the Guillotine
Hellward was recorded at Earth Analog & Clandestine Arts Recording. It was engineered and mixed by Carl Byers at Clandestine Arts Recording, and was mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room.
The album features a cover illustration (just above) by Apollonia Saintclair, and layout by John Rau Design.
Hellward will be released through Third House Communications on vinyl LP, CD, cassette tape, and digital formats, and it’s available for order now (see the links below). The single is also available digitally at Bandcamp here.
PRE-ORDER:
https://veilcaste.bandcamp.com/album/hellward
MORE VEILCASTE LOCATIONS:
https://veilcaste.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/veilcaste/
https://www.instagram.com/veilcaste/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Iq6bsxciZxyRpgIy58Dxc
https://www.youtube.com/@veilcaste