Label: Self released
Date: August 28th, 2020
When you recruit the former drummer of Fates Warning to your ranks, is it obligatory to have a track titled “Fates Warning” on your debut album? Perhaps it was just a spur of the moment thing. Added inspiration when standing next to a somewhat bigger name on the scene. Whatever the case may be, Veritas is here with the first full length record, after last year’s EP.
Just reading the name mentioned above, I’m sure you got at least an approximate picture of what is going on here. Progressive metal is exactly that. Just an approximate idea of “Thread of Fatality”. Veritas is not dealing with exquisite showmanship of musical skills. The album might just be described as slightly more technical heavy metal. Somewhere along the lines drawn by Queensrÿche back in the day of their utmost glory. What that means in particular is that Veritas is oriented towards crafting songs, instead of spotlighting individual musicians’ quality. A clear form and a certain flow of tracks themselves stands to prove the point. Though the Kansas based quartet take some time for individualities, the mission remains the same: create the powerful tracks that should capture the listeners’ minds. Masterful execution is just one of the tools to get there.
Another aspect of “Threads of Fatality” is the energy surge from the speakers. Veritas have not forgotten about the electric feel heavy metal needs to possess. One of the ways for achieving that is production that does not go overboard with cleaning all the rust off of the recorded material. Though clean and completely audible, it still packs decent amount of that extra spark that electrifies the listener. Of course, the production on its own cannot do the trick completely. The music itself needs to deliver its own impact. And it does, so there is no mistake when it comes to the atmosphere intended.
What the album does lack is a more distinct hook. There are memorable moments on it, some catchy parts that might bring a potential hit. Still, “Threads of Fatality” misses a knock-out blow. One that will cement the position of the band on top of many others striving for the similar goals. It is easily felt that Veritas was on a good track, had the opponent on the ropes (to keep up with the boxing metaphors), but then decided it was enough. Winning on points is still a win, as the album absolutely is, but to get shoulder to shoulder with the legends Veritas still needs that killer instinct I can only hope they will gain over time.
