By Eric The Red
Hardcore, Deathcore, Math Metal, Djent. There are a lot of names being thrown around the metal s cene that can be used to classify bands. Preferring to be categorized as Deathcore, Beneath The Veil is the epitome of ferocity. With down-tempo, syncopated rhythms and vocals that would terrify a yeti, Beneath The Veil is staking their claim in the ever-growing metal landscape of Southern California.
Consisting of Sabir Alili handling the vocal duties, Jordan Russell and Mychal Wright on guitars, Jake Kelly hammering out the face smashing drum lines and Joey Arrey on the bass, Beneath The Veil began playing the Corona, CA music scene back in 2008. Since then, they have worked relentlessly at their art and built an impressive following. When asked what their practices were like, Jake said, “It really kind of depends on what we’re preparing for. If we’re practicing just to practice, then for the most part we’re all just buddies and we’re jamming around, but if we’re practicing to get tight for an upcoming tour or we need to get tight for a really big show we’re about to play, we take it as seriously as we can. We don’t like to fool around. We like to just get to the point and we play the same songs probably about 7 times before we say we’ve got it done, and we make sure that we play it perfectly for the majority of those 7 times.” This steadfast work ethic is what has garnered the respect and fan base that they have today.
On the subject of the shows, I was curious to find out how the band gauges their success, so I asked what qualifies as a good show for them. The band states, “It’s completely how energetic the crowd is. I have to say, we’ve played in front of over 7,000 people, and we’ve played the main stage at The Grove to a sold out show, and I still think my favorite show we’ve ever played was a house show that maybe 50 people showed up to, and we were all inside this tiny room and everyone was dancing. It was just a great time.” I feel that this is truly a statement that shows just how humble and hardworking this band is, that they consider what most larger bands would consider a waste of time, one of their best shows to date.
While listening to their tracks, their music reminded me of bands such as The Acacia Strain, Volumes and Impending Doom. When asked where they drew their inspiration, it was no surprise that the band stated, “There’s a handful of bands, but we all kinda draw our own inspirations. Just to name a few bands, there’s Meshuggah, we really, really enjoy Meshuggah. We really enjoy this band called Monsters that we based a lot of our writing styles off of. We base a lot of our writing styles off of our buddy band, Sworn In, and also Frontline, while they were around.” Utilizing famous bands, as well as their friends for influence, Beneath The Veil has the capability to skyrocket to the top of the Deathcore genre.
Come down to 51672 Calle Torres Orduno in Coachella on Dec 14th and catch Beneath The Veil with Skies Like Scrolls, Omerta, Facelift, Vulgar, Swine // Overthrow and Kalashnikov X Culture X. The show is $4 at the door and is all ages. Also check out Beneath The Veil on Facebook at facebook.com/BTVCC for tracks and music videos.
