A good, solid gothic atmosphere is something that cannot be likened to anything else whether it be done in a sense that’s visual or aural with it being attempted by many, but few are able to pull it off with such resounding success such that it bleeds through every facet of the work gorgeous. That goes doubly for metal, in my opinion, as it’s difficult to make it come across in a palpable form with atmosphere and tone being particularly crucial in its execution. Doom is the best vessel to deliver such a performance, hands down, but it’s still difficult to come across a band that’s able to pull it all off even decently which makes my discovery of Veil of Conspiracy all the more intriguing.
Without even hearing a single note of what this album has to offer, everything about the release from the band and album’s name to the cover art screams gothic in such a way that it makes you wonder if the band is going to just dip their sound in a gothic sound or if they’ll go all in. While not leaning into it all that much compared to others, one cannot listen to anything that “Echoes of Winter” contains without being hit hard by an undeniable blanket of gothic deliciousness that covers everything that Veil of Conspiracy brings forth in these ten tracks have a tantalizing level of atmospheric doom heaviness that provides massive flavor to this creation going from one track to the next. Throw on top of that already-delectable concoction magnificent vocals that are as smooth as water and every single bit of this creation becomes wondrous in its essence without exception with this being damn near exactly what many of us would come to ask for out of gothic doom and all that it could every hope to accomplish. I simply cannot stress enough how much “Echoes of Winter” not only lovingly leans into the tropes that the sound has become synonymous with but it strengthens those very tropes such that they don’t feel stale nor does it become repetitive in any form, quickly making Veil of Conspiracy not just a reliable source for a sometimes hard to achieve sound but an intoxicating one at that.
It’s not easy to find a band that can become fully wrapped in the tropes of a sound that can then create certifiable greatness out of yet this band hasn’t just shown how to do it and do it well, they really show how to keep the listener fully committed for the entirety of the creation at hand with every minute of these ten tracks having nothing to be sneered at which Veil of Conspiracy should be immensely proud of. The rainy atmosphere of “Echoes of Winter” is something that cannot be ignored by anyone who steps into this album, and it’s with each song that you should effortlessly find yourself superbly entertaining by what it put before you.
LISTEN to “Echoes of Winter” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Veil of Conspiracy on Facebook here.
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