Published by Davide Pappalardo on April 22, 2018
What a fast career for Maenad Veyl, EBM/techno, industrial and noise project by Thomas Feriero, already active with the moniker Atavism in the field of minimal techno. During 2018 he has published a limited cassette EP for Pinkman called Somehow, Somewhere They Had Heard This Before, a split with Years Of Denial for Broken English Club label Death & Leisure, and now he is returning with the first output under his own label VEYL called The Acceptance Ov Not Knowing.
The new work follows the path previously established, mixing cutting EBM bass-lines, obsessive rhythms and dark atmospheres. A yearning for the darker side of old school electro-industrial and EBM, but even ethnic elements, experimental passage, throbbing dark techno rites. If the previous Somewhere They Had Heard This Before was a collection of dark and grinding soundscapes and the split gave us robust EBM moments, now he can display the different facets of his music in five tracks (plus an intro).
After the short intro Trust nightmare sequence, a noisy pastiche made of glitching samples and mysterious voices, we have the steady EBM number called Talon, an old-school affair full of enthralling bass-lines, steady rhythms and processed vocals. The track is for sure something any lovers of dark EBM would love, completed even by “funky” elements amidst the eerie atmosphere conceived by the usage of vintage synth sounds. Liberation is a pulsating mantra built on minimal beats and synth-lines, a slow march upon which filtered vocals repeat obsessively the name of the track. The layers of sound are enriched by noisy electronic elements which grow in a menacing and subtle crescendo.
Calibro ventures in straighter territory without losing all the evocative qualities of Maenad Veyl music. A rhythmic loop in the foundation for grooving techno bass-lines and steady cymbals, giving us a crescendo growing into a compelling vortex. The second part of the track fully reaches dance moments, thanks to hitting beats and obsessive loops. INHALE/EXHALE works as an intermezzo, an almost two minutes long collection of distorted basses, while the final number Pensive, part 1 starts with ambient sounds with a field-recordings nature, before adding a dissonant arpeggio upon which a rhythmic pattern is slowly built; instead of reaching a climax, it it interrupted by even more ethereal sounds, confirming the experimental nature of the song. Noise disturbances and evocative synth sounds give us a dichotomy which dominates the track until the end.
So, Maenad Veyl manages to condense all the different aspects of his music in less than thirty minutes of music. He effortlessly deploys minimal techno, EBM, industrial, noise, ambient, mixing things up and keeping focus on the atmosphere of his tracks even in the hardest moments. He doesn’t avoid hitting rhythms and abrasive sounds, but his music is more soothing than crushing, using slow building and delayed climaxes in order to capture the listener. A great addiction to the growing number of underground artists mixing the more experimental side of electronic music with EBM and techno, and a name to keep an eye on.
Label: VEYL
Rating: 7,5