Asheville, North Carolina’s motto, for the whole time I’d lived there, is “Stay Weird.” For the most part, we Ashevillians take that to heart. So, too, it seems, do Pennsylvania’s weird blackened death duo Veilburner. A studio project well regarded for their unorthodox songwriting style, Veilburner’s discography represents a masterclass on making weird and freaky music remarkably accessible without sacrificing grit or grime. The pinnacle of that exercise, Lurkers in the Capsule of Skull, saw Veilburner at their zenith, handily securing a top spot on my Albums o’ the Year in 2021. Follow-up VLBRNR fell shy of performing the same feat, and yet it still earned high marks. Consequently, I’ve come to rely on this duo for a good time, every time. Seventh in an unbroken streak of high-caliber strangeness, The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom perpetuates Veilburner’s stalwart reliability.
No longer bound by the same thematic thread that strung A Sire to the Ghouls of Lunacy and Lurkers in the Capsule of Skull together, VLBRNR and Duality freely explore new concepts and concoctions. For Duality, Veilburner chose to expound on the mystical qualities and cultural significance of the number seven. Gimmicky? Arguably, but seven happens to be my favorite number, so I’m locked in like Monica Geller in “The One with Phoebe’s Uterus.” Seven songs. Seven minutes per song. DR score of seven. Numerous other compositional/lyrical nods to our whole number of the day. Veilburner committed, and it shows not just in their concrete cohesion of tones, textures, and themes. Duality contains an otherworldly, eerie, and distinctly ethereal character (even when compared to previous efforts); a laminar flow that allows forty-nine minutes of oddball blackened death to travel through a mere mortal’s nervous system like tea through a perfectly rendered clay kettle; and an infallible set of creative performances from Mephisto Deleterio (instruments) and Chrisom Infernium (vocals) that constitutes something just a bit different, but still unmistakably Veilburner.
Duality adeptly rebalances Veilburner’s two main draws, then accentuates them with subtle, but creative, adaptations to the format they’ve perfected over the course of their career. Opener “Tem Ohp Ab in Mysticum” isn’t particularly representative of those adaptations—however, listeners need not wait long before things get twisty. Standouts like “III Visions of Hex-Shaped Hiss, Behead the Howling Spirit” and “The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom Pt. II” showcase a newfound emphasis on the psychedelic. Using this as the basis to form kaleidoscopic, yet hellish, atmospheres, Veilburner conjure up wild and writhing synths, bendy guitar leads, and staggering percussive rhythms. In concert, these tweaked elements coalesce into twisted visages of an alien nature that are at once terrifyingly tangible and invitingly incorporeal. No doubt, Chrisom Infernium’s scathing, psychotic rasps placed atop a rhythm that only occasionally aligns with the surrounding instrumentation strengthens the sensory power of this effect. Meanwhile, Veilburner penned some of their strongest hooks and most aggressive tempos to ground the aforementioned psychedelics. “The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom Pt. I,” and album highlights “Shadow of a Shadow” and “Woe Ye’ Who Build These Crosses… Are Those Who Will Serve Us Death,” each embody the Hyde to Duality’s Jekyll, boasting extremely memorable riffs and motifs, grotesquely shimmering solo work, and, in the latter’s case, a downright thrashy energy that recalls old school Metallica if they hailed from the seventh circle of hell.
It’s unfortunate that Duality’s bookends are its weakest links. While the opener and closer fit extremely well within the context of the album and serve with a purpose innumerable bands struggle to capture, they lack zest on their own. “Tem Ohp…” is by-the-numbers Veilburner fare, which is a fine standard to hold as a starting point. However, Veilburner are not known for laurel-resting, and to hear, for the first time, material that could be transplanted on any of their last three records without much conflict gives me slight pause. Closer “V.I.I.,” on the other hand, veers a touch too far into experimental territory. Psychedelic and quasi-tribal in tone, but droning in nature, this closing act lives and dies by the percussive variety provided by the immensely talented Mephisto Deleterio. This alone prevents the song from falling into a repetitive pattern of admittedly sticky hooks and intriguing choral elements. Even so, “V.I.I.” prematurely saps momentum from Duality’s final moments.
These are mere quibbles, of course. Duality remains a unique, and exceedingly cool, record in the rich metallic tapestry that represents 2024. It would have to grow strongly from here—in an unrealistically short period of time—to reach the same list-topping glory as did Lurkers. Nonetheless, listeners can rest assured that Duality reinforces Veilburner’s reputation for reliability and creativity in an extremely challenging field. To those who would disagree, I say, “off with their heads!”
Rating: Very Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: veilburner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/veilburner
Releases Worldwide: November 15th, 2024
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