9th March 2023

Exclusive Interview: Veil Of The Serpent talk writing and recording “Gallery Of Sin”!

The debut EP “Gallery Of Sin” from transatlantic trio Veil Of The Serpent is a self contained horror story about a detective hunting down a serial killer that makes paintings using the blood of his victims. Perfectly timed to arrive for Halloween in 2022, it followed no less than five well received singles in “When Fear Becomes The Law“, “Into The Moon“, “Enter The Culling“, “Dark Saga” and “The Scarred“ to give us something more to sink our teeth into. Now with an album said to be in the works, we talk to guitarist and engineer Gene about how this one played out…

How did your previous experiences writing and recording the preceding singles help to smooth the path of the new record? “They didn’t helped at all. It is an ongoing process. We are constantly writing songs and exchanging ideas. At the same time, there are lyrical ideas that also have an influence on the song writing process. So basically, there are three guys who throw their ideas into one pot, stir them and then something finished comes out haha”

How does the writing process of a new track start? Melody, riff or rhythm first? How does it evolve from there before you consider it the finished article? “It usually starts with some kind of riff idea. But it can also have originated from a melody. As already said, all three members are working on the songs and accordingly contribute their melody or riff ideas. Just grab the beginning of Gallery Of Sin. The bass line is by our singer. That’s how the band works. 3 heads = 3 ideas”

Being a concept record, how hard did you find it to stick to the guns of the narrative and not get side tracked by other ideas? “Actually not that difficult. As I said, we exchange a lot of ideas, but the concept of the EP was clearly defined by the story of JD Stafford and the idea of Felix doing a horror themed record”

If you had the opportunity to work with a guest in the studio next time around, who would you like to work with and why? “I think it would be Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth). One of the best guitarists ever for me. Not in the sense of faster, more technical…. No, he is a metal riff god and is shredding the hell out of everything, but can also write amazing ballads that are down-to-earth and, above all, soulful. His music has accompanied me for decades and I still keep discovering new things in the songs”

For us gear nerds out there, can you tell us what you’re using gear wise (pedals, strings, drums etc) to get your sound? “This is really something for nerds and they will be disappointed haha. Well, it’s actually quite simple… We record the drums on an e-drum. Back then a no go, now very welcome for me as it makes the work easier. It doesn’t matter for the drummer. He has to be able to play the song, whether on e-drums or real drums. The guitars and the bass are recorded via Kemper Profiler. The rest is mix and mastering”

What difference would it make to you as a band if you could land an endorsement from a gear manufacturer?“It would make no difference I think and it’s also not interesting for me unless it saves me costs. But you never know”

“Gallery Of Sin” by Veil Of The Serpent is out now and available over at bandcamp