''Mother'' (stylized as '' ther'') is the seventh studio album by American
metalcore
Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
band
Veil of Maya
Veil of Maya is an American metalcore band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 2004. The group consists of guitarist Marc Okubo, drummer Sam Applebaum, bassist Danny Hauser and vocalist Lukas Magyar. They are currently signed to Sumerian Records an ...
. The album was released on May 12, 2023, through
Sumerian Records
Sumerian Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.False Idol'' appeared to be in production with the band sharing various photos from the studio with producer
Taylor Larson
Taylor Larson (born April 28, 1988) is an American record producer, mixer, and audio engineer. He has produced, engineered, and/or mixed tracks for Asking Alexandria, Periphery, From First to Last, I See Stars, Veil of Maya, Within Temptation ...
on their social media. On October 30, the band have returned to the studio for their new album and began initial sessions on the effort with producer Taylor Larson. According to their social media, those sessions have resumed with Larson back behind the boards.
On October 8, 2021, the group's guitarist Marc Okubo revealed that the reason for the relative delay of their new record comes from the band having decided to scrap much of what they had previously recorded for it. On April 20, 2022, Veil of Maya released the first single "Synthwave Vegan". On September 14, the band completed tracking the effort and have begun mixing the album with new material.
On February 8, 2023, Veil of Maya unveiled the second single "Godhead" and its corresponding music video. On March 8, the band published the third single "Red Fur" and an accompanying music video. At the same time, they officially announced the album itself and release date, whilst also revealing the album cover and the track list. On April 12, one month before the album release, the band published the fourth single "Mother, Pt. 4" along with a music video. The music video for "Disco Kill Party" was released May 12, 2023, coinciding with the album release.
Critical reception
The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Dom Lawson from
Blabbermouth.net
''Blabbermouth.net'' is a website dedicated to metal and rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. It is run by the website's founder Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001. In October 2001, the rec ...
gave the album 7 out of 10 and said: "Veil of Maya are plainly incapable of repeating themselves, and ''Mother'' marks another confident step forward, with their admirable disregard for convention as an extra selling point." Dan McHugh of ''Distorted Sound'' scored the album 9 out of 10 and said: "''Mother'' is one hell of a journey and is Veil of Maya at their most laser focused. Boundless creativity and jaw-dropping technicality are made to look effortless as the innovative quartet have undeniably constructed their finest work to date. It's scary the sheer amount of artistry that has been crammed into this 36-minute beast. A surefire contender for the top rankings at the end of the year."
''Wall of Sound AU.com'' gave the album a score 7/10 and saying: "Veil of Maya came into the journey of ''Mother'' with a curiosity to explore, and be creative. It's admirable for a band with a tenure of over a decade, striving to find new paths to pursue, instead of resting on their laurels, rinsing and repeating the same breakdowns in the name of safe nostalgia. Their combination of ethereal electronics and death metal creates true moments of triumph, where the sounds of a synth lull you to relaxation before Magyar's growls and Okubo's guitar crunches slice you the hell up. The wrong turns this album takes sometimes can be a little jarring, but even they indicate a band that has so much more left in the tank. ''Mother'' is a preview of the exciting terrain Veil of Maya look to continue exploring in the future and a welcome reminder of veterans who have no plans on stopping anytime soon, articulated through a pretty damn solid album."
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
.
Veil of Maya
* Lukas Magyar – vocals
* Marc Okubo – guitars, programming
* Danny Hauser – bass
* Sam Applebaum – drums
Additional personnel
* Zach Jones – production
* Jordon Beal – drum production, engineering