Interview - 'Veiled'

In the past we, at the Lair, have reviewed, and been thoroughly impressed with both releases from the atmospheric Black Metal band, Gnosis of the Witch. You can check out those reviews here and here, and you'll see just how enthused we were over them! Now, there's bad news and there's good news... The bad is that Gnosis of the Witch are no more (more details below), but the good news is that Veiled have risen from the proverbial ashes and you are going to want to check them out. We're also very fortunate to have conducted this interview with Veiled main man, N, so read on for more!

Interview by Trevor Proctor.

Welcome to The Lair of Filth and thank you for agreeing to an interview with us, we’re honoured to have an opportunity to get some details surrounding this new and secretive underground entity, an entity so new your debut demo tape hasn’t even been released yet. 

N: Thank you yet again for taking an interest in what we do. The Lair of Filth has always been kind to us and we are always happy to oblige to any request you guys have regarding our music.

I understand Veiled rose from the ashes of Gnosis of the Witch, what led to this change and what are the differences between the ethos of Gnosis of the Witch and Veiled? Also, could you tell us a little about what type of music Veiled plays?

N: Everything that went into making GOTW spiritually and personally just wore out its welcome. What drew me in so closely no longer had a tight grasp. I felt I was locked within a very limited  creative box and I had to get out of it in order to reach my full potential as a musician.

Was it merely a name change in that you see the birth of Veiled as a direct continuation from Gnosis of the Witch and is the membership the same between the two bands?

N: Yes, Veiled is the same two members that were in GOTW. I don't really see Veiled as a direct continuation actually. There really is no more “grand spiritual message” anymore. The direction that GOTW was going in musically after the “Dauðr...” EP is basically where Veiled picked up and started. We no longer wanted to be a part of the Dark Germanic movement and wanted to step out of that diluted scene and just be ourselves and create music that stood on its own two feet without the use of a “deep spiritual message."

Gnosis of the Witch had steadily built a reputation and following over the past few years, especially after the brilliant Dauðr Burðr Þrysvar was released via Iron Bonehead Productions – do you see the formation of Veiled as a risk in anyway after you’d worked so hard to establish support for Gnosis of the Witch?

N: This was something that I really debated with myself about. GOTW had just begun to form a name and gather a following for itself, and even at the urge of Iron Bonehead Productions to not change our name and stay with what we were already building. But it in the end, I had to follow what I felt within myself and what I knew to be true to my heart because music and art will always triumph over popularity. When I told U. of my decision and ideas to go within a different path, he gladly accepted them with an open mind and Veiled came to be.

I’m aware Gnosis of the Witch had been working on a debut album – will this music ever see the light of day now the focus has shifted to Veiled?

N: Actually, the first two songs on the demo we have coming out were intended for the debut album of Gnosis of the Witch. Basically the direction and sound of Veiled is where GOTW was going to be regardless if we had changed the name or not. We wanted to do something different and change the music up and explore an even more atmospheric and ambient style of black metal.

The music of Gnosis of the Witch was based in Nordic spirituality - what lyrical themes and concepts do the music of Veiled deal with?

N: Veiled doesn't really have a theme or concept. The purpose behind Veiled is to create music that is something we can relate to on a personal level. Not to say that the dark Nordic concept was something we did not connect with at the time, but it was no longer something that was relevant in our lives. We had to move on and make music for ourselves.

Veiled has a demo tape due soon via Iron Bonehead Productions, were the basic ideas etc. for the music already in your minds or was all music written and completed after formation?

N: Since we keep a very low profile and don't reveal much about what goes on behind the scenes, it can seem that Veiled was a spur of the moment idea. But it was actually something that had been brewing for a while, even after the “Dauðr...” EP had been released. Once we finished writing that record, we immediately went on to the next thing and with that came more atmospheric and ambient music with more clean sections and spacey vibes. GOTW would have had all this even without the name change. So basically everything that is being, no pun intended, unveiled within the world of Veiled is just where we picked up from where GOTW was already headed.

You were kind enough to send me an early version of the demo, I know you recently sent the completed recording to Iron Bonehead Productions – were there many differences between the version you let me hear and the finished recordings?

N: The sound will be more open, the atmosphere larger, and a special guest vocalist on one of the songs we have yet to name. Aside from the mastering and added vocalist, there won't be much of a difference.

Is there a date in place for the launch of the tape from Iron Bonehead Productions and have you any rough plans for future releases?

N: The demo is currently awaiting its time with the engineer to be mixed and mastered. Once we have more details on its release we will let everyone know, but if I were to make an assumption I would say the demo will see the light of day before the end of winter.

The cover artwork for the demo tape was shown via Facebook at the start of July. Stephen Wilson designed the bands logo, is the cover artwork his creation and what’s the meaning(s) behind it?

N: The cover art was actually done by the drummer U. under his artistic banner Blemished Arts. Everyone should definitely check out his art on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BlemishedArt2). The cover doesn't necessarily have a specific meaning, but it ties into a verse within one of our lyrics in a song. He more or less brought this lyric to life visually.

Does Veiled intend playing live at a future date?

N: Just like with GOTW, when the stars and planets properly align, we will play live. Hopefully sooner than later.

And what about the rest of 2015, could you please tell us a little of what the rest of this year has in store for Veiled?

As always, once fall and winter arrive we will begin writing new music for a full album. Summer time is our off time when it comes to working on black metal and gives us time to do other endeavours we may be working on.

Thank you very, very much for taking the time to answer these questions, myself and Jude over at The Lair of Filth are massive fans of what we’ve heard so far, we wish you the very best with the release of the demo cassette and we hope the future brings you everything you’ve set out to achieve.

N: Thank you very much for the continued support!

N. // on behalf of Veiled.

Interview by Trevor Proctor.

Omniscient will soon be available from Iron Bonehead Productions. You can also access Veiled's Facebook page here.