From their haunted intro track to the band photo that looks like a still from the film Hereditary, mysterious German black metal newcomers Veiled (also referred to as (The True) Veiled) bring the horror on their debut LP (In Blinding Presence). After 90 seconds of ominous mood-crafting, Veiled remove the album’s mask to reveal their true intentions: haunted black metal that ventures into the darkest shadows of the inner-self.
If you listened to Veiled’s 2018 EP, you heard the foreboding atmosphere and agile riffing of “Abysmal Wounds.” On the record’s flip-side, you could drown in the bedlam and blastbeats of “Maelstrom.” After that two-track preface, In Blinding Presence continues the introduction of a black metal sect with a deft ear for chilling melodies and a sinister mean-streak. Splashed with dark melodicism and frenzied charges, “Healing Atter” feels like Slægt crawled out of a fresh grave. The nimble shredding of “Steps” leads you to a desolate precipice and shoves you towards the jagged crags below with bursts of menacing discord. But like the album’s name implies, Veiled also cast light across their scorched compositions. “Saintly Aisles” opens with fragile clean notes whose shimmer is quickly snuffed out like votive candles. Then there’s closing showstopper “Bringer of Lambency.” Like the song title promises, the epic track radiates an eerie glow as Veiled crash from nightside elegance to twisted dissonance. The riffs are blistering and relentless, concluding the record by embodying the balance of baneful elegance and outright extremity that Veiled establish from the first snare strikes of “Triunity.”
Below, open those ear canals and shield your eyes as Veiled’s In Blinding Presence rips out of the pitch-black abyss. Stream the whole damn thing exclusively before it’s released from Into Endless Chaos Records on January 7th.
Pre-order Veiled’s In Blinding Presence from Into Endless Chaos Records HERE
And follow Veiled on Bandcamp to check out last year’s two-song EP HERE
