This album...wait a minute. Let me build this up a bit: I happened across Vela, Together We Await the Storm a few years back and it just...it was incredible. It still is. I bought shirts, I went to shows, I became an ardent fan. Then AJ left....and my world seemed to end. Midheaven came out, and confirmed AJ's departure was the worst thing that could have ever happened. I loved Tapley as a dude, and a player, but...AJ just couldn't be replaced.
2010: AJ's is announced as returning to THA, along with a new vocalist (thank God) being added to the lineup. My heart skips a beat, and I start creepin on THA in forums and on websites again, salivating at the promise of a new album.
And the reborn California quintet delivered. Will Putney and AJ engineered this beast of an album to perfection. The bass and drums are eloquently layered with the guitars and vocals to create an audio-based sex sandwich for your ears. Richter's vocals bring an entire new form to THA; his range, his delivery, his ability to stay distinguishable, all make for an unparalleled vocal performance in modern metal. His screams are everything a metal vocalist (should) aspire to be, and his clean singing rivals that of just about any other vocalist working right now, in my opinion. The lyrics he delivers seem to match the music and overall mood more so than Nathan Ells' ever did; THA could not have picked a better frontman to replace him, honestly.
Guitars: yes. Thats all that needs to be said. Just...yes. Dean and AJ, reunited, tearing shit up like the good ole days...oh wait, except they aren't. Forget comparing this to Nocturne; it just isn't possible. Dean's flawless riffing builds the foundation for AJ's new masterclass level of soloing and lead playing. Minette and THA reached (maybe even surpassed?) Matthew Bellamy-esque levels of song composition on this album. Dean and bassist Henry Selva are, as always, at the top of their game in terms of playing on this offering. The precision and fluid grace which accompany every note of their playing makes the album just as much as AJ's godlike playing.
And Brett Powell. Good lord, Brett Powell. Under appreciated though he may be (at least to me), his playing impressed me most of all. He is a machine, the eye of a hurricane made of thundering fills and machine gun bass. He is what I and any drummer that has heard his playing want to be when we grow up. From the band's inception to now, Powell has proven his undeniable skill time and again, and Digital Veil is no different.
After all the rumors, waiting and lineup changes (one can't help but wonder what a Tapley/Minette/Herrera beast would have sounded like) Digital Veil is the only proof anyone has that patience pays off. Ever. Make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen: this album wasn't the work of mere musicians, but virtuosos. Buy this album. Download it. Listen to it.
Tracklisting:
- Elegaic
- Complex Terms
- Digital Veil
- Faust
- Antebellum
- Holographic Sight
- Horizon to Zenith
- Patterns
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