Veil of Maya - The Common Man's Collapse (Sumerian Records) - Back
I was lucky enough to be introduced to this band in a live setting; they put on a killer show - kudos to a relatively new band that was the opening act on the Carcass tour. Veil of Maya’s music is a very nice blend of several styles, most notably brutal death, Gothenburg melodic, and Meshuggah-esque odd-time polyrhythms. On the Common Man's Collapse, the band blends these ingredients into a very accessible stew of crushing, albeit technical, metal.

This Oak Park, Illinois outfit features solid vocals from Brandon Butler, primarily using a low guttural, brutal death type growl, and higher pitched, raspy scream. The scream is used most notably to intensify several sections that erupt into a blistering blast beat, while the growl is used as the adhesive that holds the more complicated rhythms together like a thick, black glue. Marc Okubo’s guitar work is exceptional, and occasionally reminds me of Arsis and Necrophagist’s lean towards the technical side of things. Kris Hilger (bass) and Sammy Applebaum (drums) provide the thunder, and shine particularly bright on the stop/start Meshuggah-like sections. This comparison is a tribute to the skill of this band, for many have tried and failed to emulate such a sound, while this band really takes it as their own.

What really stands out for me on this album is V of M’s ability to seamlessly shift gears from one style to the next, without things feeling forced or unnatural. The songs remain thought provoking without trapping you in a vortex that’s trying to pull your ears in all directions at once. I’m hoping the Death by Decibels tour opens this band up to a broader range of fans, because there’s really something here for everyone. A very satisfying beast of an album, The Common Man's Collapse will continue to spin in my rotation for some time to come.

Rating: 88

Reviewed By: Bova