Band: Veil Of Maya
Support: Volumes, Structures, Vildhjarta and Betraying The Martyrs
Venue: Sub 89, Reading
Date: 02/05/12
Sub89 in Reading is one of the loudest venues in the UK – so where would be more appropriate for some of the loudest emerging metal bands, including tonight’s main act Veil of Maya, to make their debut. They were joined by a speaker-busting lineup of metalcore breakouts including Volumes, Structures, Vildhjarta and Betraying the Martyrs. As an army of loyal fans assembled in the venue, the volume went up and up, as the night kicked off with Swedish metallers Vildhjarta.
This five piece Scandinavian ensemble rocked the already warmed-up crowd with a blend of heavy instrumental and pounding metalcore. With two vocalists bellowing out lyrics and some epic breakdowns, Vildhjarta definitely made a good first impression on their first ever UK show. Next out on stage in record time were Betraying the Martyrs, French symphonic-metalcore fusionists with roaring stage presence and destructive riffs, they set the scene for Veil of Maya‘s stomping debut.
After the power of touring machines Betraying the Martyrs exerted to the giant mosh pit that was the audience at this point, Veil of Maya had a lot to top – but top they did. With volume and technical skill that could only be described as thunderous they ripped out breakdowns and shredding vocals beyond the capacity of any normal human voice. This band is absolutely exceptional live with a sound that would be identical to their studio work if not for the eardrum-wrecking size of their sound. They covered favourites across all of their albums and threw all their considerable skill into drowning the audience in relentlessly atmospheric breakdowns.
All in all, this was one of the best, most concise metalcore gigs I have ever experienced, and these three bands combined were the best things to punish my eardrums for a long time. Sub89 is the perfect house for acts about to reach the prominence all these bands deserve. If Veil of Maya come your way, don’t miss out – they bring some of the world’s best metalcore with them.
Reviewer: Laurence Braddow
