Veil of Maya

Veil of Maya is an American metalcore band, formed in Chicago, Illinois by members Marc Okubo and Sam Applebaum in 2004. They are currently signed to Sumerian Records and have released five studio albums. Their latest album, Matriarch (2015), saw them abandon the deathcore^[1][2][3] style that dominated their previous work.^[4] They have also been associated with djent.^[1][3] The band's name references Maya, a concept of illusion in Indian philosophy.

History

Formation and demo (2004–2006)

Veil of Maya formed in 2004 in Chicago, Illinois after melodic death metal band Insurrection broke up, which led members Marc Okubo (lead guitar), Sam Applebaum (drums) and Kris Higler (bassist) to start up the new project.^[5] Guitarist Timothy Marshall and vocalist Adam Clemans joined shortly thereafter.

After recording a self-released demo in 2005, guitarist Scott Okarma briefly joined the group, participating in local shows and early touring. At this point, Veil of Maya were a six-piece band with three guitarists, but this only lasted for a few months before both Marshall and Okarma left the band. Bryan Ruppell replaced them both on rhythm guitar thus reverting their lineup back to five members.

All Things Set Aside and The Common Man's Collapse (2006–2009)

With this five member line-up, the band recorded, self-produced and released their debut full-length album All Things Set Aside through Corrosive Recordings in 2006. In early 2006 vocalist Clemans and guitarist Ruppell left the group leading Veil of Maya to enlist the help of then 20-year-old Brandon Butler, former vocalist of the Indiana metal band Iscariot. The band also decided not to search for a new rhythm guitarist, thus leaving Veil of Maya as a four-piece.

In January 2008, after heightened exposure from interviews and successful tours, Veil of Maya signed with Sumerian Records.^[6] Sumerian manager Shawn Keith and founder Ash Avildsen were both reportedly very ecstatic about the partnership. Veil of Maya's second album, The Common Man's Collapse was recorded with Butler in 2008 and released the same year. Shortly after the album release, the band parted ways their original bassist Kristopher "Kris" Higler in 2009, and was replaced by Matthew Pantelis, formerly of Born of Osiris.

[id] and Eclipse (2010–2012)

After their second album's release, the following several months held extensive touring before the writing and recording for the group's third full-length, [id] began. [id] was released on April 6, 2010, and reached number 107 on the Billboard 200.^[7] The band worked again with producer Michael Keene from The Faceless for this album, who previously produced The Common Man's Collapse. The album's name was derived from the main character of the PlayStation game Xenogears; the album itself also holds several concepts and references to other topics in popular culture, especially television shows.^[8][9]

After the release of [id], Pantelis as well left the band, which led to Danny Hauser replacing him in 2010; the band's current bassist. On January 13, 2012, Sumerian Records released a teaser for Veil of Maya's next album, Eclipse. On January 17, the single "Vicious Circles" was released onto the iTunes Store. Eclipse was then released on February 28, 2012^[10] and was produced and co-written by Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor.^[11]

On November 11, 2013 the band has released a digital-only single, Subject Zero, with a lyric video uploaded on YouTube two weeks earlier, on September 30, 2013.^[12]

Recording of new album and Butler's departure (2013–2014)

Veil of Maya announced in 2014 that they had finished writing the follow-up to Eclipse and were recording with Taylor Larson. However, progress was stopped as long-time vocalist Brandon Butler left the band, citing creative differences with his bandmates.^[13][14] Butler moved on to join a band named Lost Origins, which features former members of I Declare War.^[15]

Magyar's arrival and Matriarch (2014–present)

At Knotfest 2014, Veil of Maya were seen performing with a new, unidentified vocalist. On January 1, 2015 it was announced that Arms of Empire vocalist Lukas Magyar joined the band replacing the departed Butler.^[16] At the same time, the band released a new single, "Phoenix".^[17]

Shortly after the announcement, the band headed out on the "Slow Your Troll and Know Your Role" tour with Upon a Burning Body, Volumes, Gideon and The Last Ten Seconds of Life. They also took part in the Ashes to Ashes European Tour with Chelsea Grin, Oceans Ate Alaska and Black Tongue (Black Tongue pulled out within the first few shows due to an injury sustained by frontman Alex Teyen).^[18]

On March 23, 2015, Veil of Maya officially announced the release of a new album, Matriarch, and released a new single, "Mikasa". The album was released on May 12, 2015 through Sumerian Records.^[19] It is the band's first release with Magyar, and represents somewhat of a departure from the style of the band's previous releases: it is less focused on technicality and is their first work to incorporate clean singing alongside growling and screaming.

Concert Tours

• Thrash and Burn 2008- Darkest Hour, Parkway Drive, Suicide Silence, After the Burial, Misery Signals, Winds of Plague, Stick to your Guns, Arsis, Abigail Williams, Arsonists Get All the Girls, Emmure, Veil of Maya, As Blood Runs Black
• Summer Slaughter Canada 2008 Tour- Necrophagist, Dying Fetus, Beneath the Massacre, Into Eternity, Neuraxis, Whitechapel, Veil of Maya, Divinity, Common Grave
• Fall 2008 Tour- Winds of Plague, Veil of Maya, Sea of Treachery, Iwrestledabearonce
• The Thrash & Burn Tour- Devildriver, Emmure, Despised Icon, My Children My Bride, Veil of Maya, For the Fallen Dreams, Oceano, Periphery
• The Crush Em All Tour- Veil of Maya, After the Burial, ABACABB, Fell Silent
• Short But Sweet Tour- Asking Alexandria, Veil of Maya, For All Those Sleeping
• January 2010 Tour- Veil of Maya, Animals as Leaders, Circle of Contempt, Periphery
• Blood Apocalypse Tour- Suffocation, Whitechapel, Decript Birth, Veil of Maya, Psycroptic
• Summer Slaughter 2010- Decapitated, The Faceless, All Shall Perish, The Red Chord, Veil of Maya, Cephalic Carnage, Decript Birth, Carnifex, Animals as Leaders, Vital Remains
• Atticus II Metal Tour- Unearth, Stick To Your Guns, Veil of Maya, The Ghost Inside, Carnifex, Darkest Hour, Stray from the Path, Your Demise
• Crush Em All II Tour- After the Burial, Veil of Maya, Misery Signals, Within the Ruins
• Planetary Duality Tour- The Faceless, Abigail Williams, Decript Birth, Veil of Maya, Neuraxis
• Pillage The Village Tour- Necrophagist, Dying Fetus, Beneath the Massacre, Veil of Maya
• Hell Chose Me European Tour- Carnifex, Veil of Maya, Suffokate
• The Legacy Tour- Darkest Hour, Veil of Maya, Periphery
• Welcome to Hell Tour- Whitechapel, The Acacia Strain, Veil of Maya, Chelsea Grin, I Declare War
• The Discovery USA Tour- Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, Carnifex, Structures, Betraying the Martyrs
• Death by Decibels Tour- Vader, Malevolent Creation, Cattle Decapitation, Abigail Williams, Light this City, Veil of Maya
• European Invasion Tour- The Faceless, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, Gorod
• 2012 European Tour- August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, Veil of Maya
• Free Your Mind Tour- Northlane, Thy Art is Murder, Veil of Maya, Volumes, Make them Suffer
• Full Metal Tour- In Flames, Trivium, Veil of Maya, Kyng
• All in Merch Tour- Veil of Maya, The Acacia Strain, Upon A Burning Body, Volumes, Twitching no Tongues
• Canadian Forgiveness Tour- Veil of Maya, Glass Cloud, The Contortionist, Beyond the Shore
• Atlas 2013 USA Tour- Parkway Drive, The Word Alive, Veil of Maya, While She Sleeps
• All-Stars Tour 2013- Every Time I Die, Chelsea Grin, Veil of Maya, Terror, Stray from the Path, Capture the Crown, Iwrestledabearonce, For All Those Sleeping, Structures, Volumes, Dayshell, Ice Nine Kills
• Fall 2013 Headliner- Veil of Maya, Structures, Northlane, Vidhjarta, Here Comes the Kraken
• Southern Midwest Tour- Veil of Maya, ERRA, Reflections
• Mayhem Festival 2014- Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, Suicide Silence, Mushroomhead, Body Count, Miss May I, Emmure, Veil of Maya, Darkest Hour, Upon A Burning Body, Texas Hippie Coalition, Darkest Hour, ILL Nino, Islander, Wretched, King 810, Erimha
• Slow Your Troll, Know Your Role Tour- Veil of Maya, Upon A Burning Body, Volumes, Gideon, The Last Ten Seconds of Life
• Ashes to Ashes European Tour- Chelsea Grin, Veil of Maya, Oceans Ate Alaska, Black Tongue
• Spring Midwest Tour- Veil of Maya, After the Burial, Invent Animate
• The Matriarch Tour- Veil of Maya, Revocation, Oceano, Gift Giver, Entheoes
• Summer Slaughter 2015- Arch Enemy, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, The Acacia Strain, Cattle Decapitation, Beyond Creation
• Sumerian Ten Year Anniversary Tour- Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, After the Burial, ERRA, Bad Omens
• Warped Tour 2016- Whitechapel, Chelsea Grin, Cane Hill, Veil of Maya, Four Year Strong, Motionless in White, Old Wounds, Coldrain, Vanna, Sum41, Volumes, The Color Morale, The Word Alive, Bullet for my Valentine, Crown the Empire, Oceans Ate Alaska, Atreyu
• Sumerian European Tour- Born of Osirs, Veil of Maya, Volumes, Black Crown Iniaite

Members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Videography

References

External links

• Veil of Maya on Facebook