Post Death Soundtrack - Veil Lifter - Album Review - Progressive Grunge Rock from Vancouver, Canada
A regular Sunday evening, yet it feels different. Another moody, foggy, and cloudy day here in Helsinki, and I am taking the chance to write about an upcoming special record; "Veil Lifter" by Post Death Soundtrack from Vancouver, Canada, set to be released on April 16th, 2024.
Respected Catalog, Transition in Musical Direction, Qualities in a Promising Record
I was first introduced to Post Death Soundtrack in 2017 while I was residing in Los Angeles. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to closely follow PDS's career, particularly their releases from 2018 to 2021, though their journey officially began much earlier, back in 2008. In addition to the fact that the collective has 16 years of experience in composing, recording, and producing records, they are less known for their live performances. The respected Canadian duo are back with a powerful record, making a powerful statement.
First of all, I'd argue that "Veil Lifter" is a milestone record in Post Death Soundtrack's career for various reasons; one of them being a rational change in their musical concept. "Veil Lifter" introduces a unique experience of PDS in a traditional band formation; guitars, bass, drums, vocals, with additional minor elements to an extent that enhances the listening experience similar to Mastodon, specifically on their latest album, "Hushed and Grim." After that, the band has embraced a new sound as expected, which now showcases a contender sound that focuses on analog, crunchy, sludgy, and heavy rock guitars, together with simply impressive prog-rock drumming, and a bass player who knows how to stand out, giving you chills with his parts reminiscent of vintage Death and Opeth.
The musical work, as mentioned earlier, introduces a new prog-rock sound by an experienced post-metal duo, and my argument is that they excel beyond their performance in the post-rock realm by far. While "Veil Lifter" being their most established work so far in their career, it musically incorporates ideas from the post-rock world of Depeche Mode with the mainstream grunge rock sound of Alice in Chains, the darkness of death/black metal territories, as well as the progressive worlds of Mastodon, Tool, and Porcupine Tree. The musical language of this record immediately captivated my interest from start to finish, making it one of the very few records that I wholeheartedly enjoyed listening to recently, with the help of solid instrumental work, fantastic performances, fresh-sounding ideas, and a long, complex, and outstanding progressive rock journey.
The technical side of the work plays a crucial role in the outcome with his vision and understanding, though with imperfections that we will delve into later on. The music playing in your ears is a craftsman's work from start to finish; I very much enjoyed the guitar, bass, and drums sound together and individually, if not one of the best I have listened to lately. That here is one of the major factors that not only gave the album a character but also a new direction for Post Death Soundtrack, exploring new exciting territories.
My Take and Suggestions from the Producer's Perspective
If I were asked to produce "Veil Lifter," first off, I would be proud of such an outcome yet with a feeling deep inside. After listening to the entire record numerous times during the last four days, the vocal characterization, blending, and production issues have been one of the major factors that kept me thinking, poking, and interrupting almost all the time. Before I get too far with this, my initial report would say it is a significant record that doesn't sound as good as a significant record should.
As I mentioned earlier, I have been familiar with more than a few previous works of the Canadian collective. That gives me the ability to compare the work both with their previous efforts and also with international contender sounds, and that's what I unconsciously do most of the time. In this case, "Veil Lifter" has one of the best sounding progressive grunge rock sounds, at least the idea they have is no less than fascinating, I would argue this band has the foundations right this time. Although among so many fantastic qualities in the production, the vocal work has sounded as the weakest element, which can't afford to sound any less than superb for any record. And that is a serious problem.
Based on my experience, I would suggest working on the characterization, some minor editing, and most importantly, making vocals and the rest share the same room. In fact, none of these arguments concern the performances but only the production side. The vocalist has a characteristic sound that can work in a great collective such as Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and Maynard James Keenan of Tool, along with different personalities he performs in "Veil Lifter" were absolutely fantastic. That is why I would argue that he needs a character that must stand out, similar to heavy bands with timeless qualities in their duo vocal work; Nickelback and Alice in Chains.
In conclusion, "Veil Lifter" exceeded my expectations by far in every way, but mostly for Post Death Soundtrack's understanding of progressive music. Veil Lifter artfully melds the grit of grunge with the complexity of progressive rock, setting a new standard for the genre with a sound that's as innovative as it is reminiscent of giants like Mastodon. One of the finest records I've listened to in 2024 from the progressive rock world, the third track in the album; "Killer Of The Doubt" is quite a masterpiece. Thank you for reading.
Post Death Soundtrack on the Web:
Post Death Soundtrack
