Post Death Soundtrack – Veil Lifter
Post Death Soundtarck is a seasoned band with four full length releases under its belt. Veil Lifter is the final effort from the Vancouver-based duo, channelling doom, grunge, psychedelia and more into a crushing new record. A new approach when compared to their previous album -which was an orchestrated industrial soundscapes type of a record-, and now the band finds inspiration from legends like ALICE IN CHAINS, BLACK SABBATH, NIRVANA, and THE STOOGES. Its not all nostalgic retro vibes though; you’ll find some modern sludgy riffs and hypnotic grooves from bands like RUSSIAN CIRCLES, WINDHAND, YOB and QUENS OF THE STONE AGE.
Although independent, the production quality and overall feel of coherence plays a big role. The name Veil Lifter derives from an Eastern philosophy-inspired phrase “lifting the veil of ignorance”. Emotionally raw and cathartic, songs are exploring intrinsic truths behind the veil. Real feelings might be hidden heavy metaphors and symbols, but you can feel the sincere impetus of the band. Songs about isolation, depression, addiction, loss and perseverance are creating a wholesome experience, thematically.
From a production perspective, drum & bass sound is really up front and gives a certain kick to the songs. The Die is Cast starts with solitary drums to showcase the driving force, and heavy moments like the pure doom ending of the Killer of the Doubt hits heavy with that bulky production choices. The bass is really out there, adding more fuzz and dynamism, and sometimes leading the songs too (Icy Underground). Guest drummer Casey Lewis (BELVEDERE) is also pretty active. His predominantly punk rock chops adds a new layer. I especially enjoyed his cymbal work and ride grooves throughout the record.
There are shorter, catchy songs too but its clear that Post Death Soundtrack can navigate through long, epic tracks as well. Immovable (the longest song of the record with almost 9 minutes) is the best song of the Veil Lifter. Stephen Moore (Vocals, Guitars, Lyrics) dedicates the record to his late father Ted George Moore, and this sludgy piece is not just riding through the depths of existential emotions, it also showcase the band larger in scale and consequence than ever before. It would be an amazing closure and I don’t think Hammer Come Down brings anything new to the table, or performs as a better finisher. This might be the only criticism I have against the Veil Lifter, so its not a big deal. I’m alsot not the biggest fan of AI generated imagery on music videos but it might be just be.
I discovered Post Death Soundtrack via Veil Lifter and I’m pretty pleased to meet this band. Their earlier efforts are a bit too electronical for me, but I really enjoyed this one with its raw, guitar-driven doom grunge sound. Give the embedded songs a chance, spin the rest on Spotify and visit the BANDCAMP of the Post Death Soundtrack for more.
