There has been a very interesting noise emanating from The Wall located within the depths of Leichardt’s Bald Faced Stag as of late. It is the sound of hard working, underground bands doing what they do best - playing music from the heart. One of these underground gems has being shining through with quite some intensity as of late, a band by the name of THE VEIL.
After countless performances sharing the stage with many local greats such as KATABASIS, REVEREND KRISS HADES, BEASTIANITY to name but a few but also recently with French metal band ALCEST, THE VEIL has been refining their sound and working their way up to finally release their debut album Ghosts of Memory. Sludge Factory’s Gary Grim spoke to the bands founder, guitarist and vocalist Che deBoehmler about the new album and what it has taken to make it to this point.
Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt (Sydney)
October 21, 2011
Supports: Pestilential Shadows, The Veil
Review by Brian Fischer-Giffin
It seemed way too early to even be at show with the sun having barely set but The Veil already had a decent and appreciative crowd when they unfurled a brand new song to open proceedings this evening.
Alcest + Heirs + Pestilential Shadows + The Veil
The Wall @ The Bald Faced Stag, Sydney
21 October 2011
Review by Gary Grim
Photos by Robyn Morrison
As prepared as I could be for the strange mix of sounds I was about to witness, I entered the dark and increasingly familiar surrounds of The Wall within the Bald Faced Stag. Kicking the night off would be hard rock goths THE VEIL, followed by raw black metallers PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS. Top it all off with the strange Melbournite instrumentalists that are making waves in the Australian scene, HEIRS, and the headliners of the night, all the way from France, the peculiar ALCEST. Interesting times lay ahead.
Read more: Alcest + Heirs + Pestilential Shadows + The Veil - Gig Review
The Veil are:
Che deBoehmler - Guitars/Vocals
Megan Hanlon - Bass/Vocals/Oboe
Wayne McIntyre - Guitars/Vocals
Vanessa Ritchie - Keyboards/Vocals
Dan Nahum - Drums/Percussion
Currently based in Sydney, Australia, The Veil are a dynamic five piece known for their multi-layered and complex, yet driving and intuitive arrangements.
In terms of genre The Veil are difficult to pin down, too heavy not to be Metal yet clearly not conforming any pre-defined identity; they have attracted titles from Doom to Post Punk, Black Metal and Folk, though with a strongly cohesive sound exclusively theirs.This diverse yet individual sound has enabled the band toshare stages with such notable and diverse acts as Alcest, Alchemist, Nazxul, Beastianity, Heirs and Bain Wolfkind.
Having released the well received Nightfall Watching EP in early 2009, by Autumn 2011 The Veil had finished recording and mixing their debut album Ghosts of Memory at The Brain Studios in Sydney.The 9 track debut LP, mastered at West West Side Music in New Jersey by Alan Douches (Neurosis, Tiamat, Akercocke), covers a vast spectrum of moods, from crushingly heavy riffs to moments of subtle minimalism, soaring and layered vocal arrangements and intricately placed harmonies, bound together by the distinct ‘sound’ that has come to define them.
For the album artwork and layout, The Veil comissioned Metastazis of Paris, resulting in an impressively fresh looking, and sounding, finished product. Ghosts of Memory was released in November of 2011 and The Veil look forward to touring and promoting the record both nationally and internationally in 2012.