Review: Remove the Veil - Another Way Home

Label: Facedown Records

Released: October 16, 2007

Unlike most of the Facedown stable, Remove the Veil takes it's cues from gritty hard rock, grunge and stoner rock rather than more technical metal. Interestingly enough, the album still fits well with the label's catalog. Their ability to use this in a powerful hardcore format sets them apart from their peers.

The album's nod to hard rock shouldn't be taken as an indicator that they're lite compared to other bands in the scene. Their down-to-earth riffs and heavy grooves make the album more accessible, but no less intense. Their use of vocal harmonies is reminiscent of the interplay between Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell that made Alice in Chains a stand-out in the 90s. Vocalist Mark Hendrix's voice does have a tendency to get witchy in the more frantic sections where he isn't harmonizing, but while it's grating at first, it settles in with the music over the course of the album. Unlike the cold technical riffs of their contemporaries, Remove the Veil mixes in southern rock licks that make a more direct connection that the esoteric noodlings that are so prominent today. They get a little too pedestrian on the title track which all but rips off "Wanted Dead of Alive," but they otherwise walk the line between melodic accessibility and sludgey heaviness with much success.

The result is an album that is equal parts Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains and generic hard rock with perhaps a dash of the Allman Brothers. Another Way Home maintains a consistent energy level across pace changes, giving it both punch and passion that easily connects with listeners.

Rating: 7/10

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Remove the Veil is currently on tour to support the album:

Oct 31 - Phenix City, AL @ Halloween Ho-down @ Champion's Den
Nov 2 - Elizabethtown, KY @ Reno Starks
Nov 3 - Herrin, IL @ Hitts
Nov 5 - Ocala, FL @ The Capitol
Nov 6 - Tampa, FL @ Transitions Art Gallery
Nov 7 - Homestead, FL @ Life Pointe Church Homestead, FL
Nov 9 - Mobile, AL @ The Mug
Nov 10 - Cleveland, GA @ Real Hope Fest '07
Nov 12 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Factory
Nov 13 - Bartlesville, OK @ The Warehouse
Nov 15 - Memphis, TN @ The Dregs
Nov 17 - Douglasville, GA @ BBQ Fest '07 @ the 7 Venue
Nov 18 - Greenville, SC @ The Unknown Venue
Nov 19 - Kernersville, NC @ Creation Skatepark
Nov 20 - Berea, KY @ Berea Folk Center
Dec 1 - Greenville, NC @ Silver Bullet
Dec 2 - Raleigh, NC @ The Brewery
Dec 4 - Melbourne, FL @ The Melbourne Jaycees
Dec 5 - Winter Park, FL @ Island Oasis
Dec 6 - Ocala, FL @ The Capitol
Dec 7 - Buchanan, GA @ The Hangar
Dec 8 - Mobile, AL @ The Chiropractor Building
Dec 10 - Baton Rouge, LA @ The Darkroom
Dec 11 - Corpus Christi, TX @ The Compound
Dec 13 - San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit
Dec 15 - Stockbridge, GA @ The R.O.C.K. Show at First Christian Church
Dec 18 - Corinth, MS @ Cruzin' Cones
Dec 19 - Douglasville, GA @ The 7 Venue
Jan 1 - Fredricksburg, VA @ Revelation Fest
Feb 16 - Clyattville, GA @ WoodFest @ War House Of Prayer