Review by : Katy Knal May
Band: Death Loves Veronica
Label: Cleopatra Records
Members: Live act includes Jamie Cadaver on synths, Chase Bats on drums, Detra on bass, Veronica Campbell on vocals and synths.
Home Base: San Antonio, TX
https://deathlovesveronica.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/deathlovesveronica/
Concept is the latest release by Death Loves Veronica. The album is industrial, cosmic, electronic, symphonic, cinematic, and synth-heavy. You’ll feel an array of emotion as you listen, but it won’t fill you with hope. This Sci-Fi film inspired album is dark and may make you feel like you’re aimlessly lost somewhere far from the home you know.
It’s not often that I find myself listening to such ambient music, but this was truly a pleasure. This album is visual, deep, and thought provoking. When I first heard it, I felt elevated and emotional.
Concept is hypnotic. From the moment the first track, “Overdose” begins I felt taken somewhere else. The tracks flow together and form a story arch that is so intense I couldn’t help but write my mental movie to play along with the screen.
Something about how this score is laid out makes it feel like the setting is in a distant future where Earth is just a memory. I personally felt like I was on a spaceship where everyone is sleeping in pods, waiting for a signal to awaken. Suddenly, something goes horribly wrong and the ship has to make an emergency landing on a foreign landscape. In the end, when “The Process of Sedation” finishes, the feeling of resolve and relief is huge.
Some favorite tracks
Process – There is only one song that has lyrics, “Process,” and it is my personal favorite. What I liked the most about it was how the track teases as it slowly builds. The track has a tension and darkness that gave me an odd sense of comfort by the end that was so relieving. Not to mention, Campbell’s lyrics are perfectly ominous and her voice is airy, like she’s standing right behind you.
The Process Of Sedation– Close your eyes and find yourself encompassed by darkness. The void feels lonely, but there’s a pulse keeping you going. While this is the longest track on the album, it’s also the most cinematic. It has a story arc of it’s own. One second you feel like you’re in a room with a malfunctioning motherboard, then some tribal beats come in and it’s like you’re reflecting on your own existence. Then there’s a part that’s so human, it’s like you’re back home on earth. By the end, that chilling effect that’s filled this album comes in and leaves you with a haunting feeling.
Probably my favorite aspect of this album is only one song has lyrics out of the five, so it’s the music alone that gave me a reaction. No one is narrating the story, which makes the plot more subjective. A room full of people can listen to this album and get similar feelings at similar times, but have a completely different mental image of what’s going on. That’s fucking art, y’all.
If you’re interested in learning more about this album or artist, check out their website at https://deathlovesveronica.bandcamp.com/. “Concept” will be available on September 13, 2019.