Reaching the Veil of Death

Reaching the Veil of Death is a very good EP, though nowhere near as great as the two colossal full-lengths it has the misfortune of being sandwiched between.

Why doesn't it stand out as much among The Chasm's catalogue? Well, for one, it's kind of hard to tell the songs apart from each other. That's not always a bad thing; The Spell of Retribution suffers from the same issue yet manages to be a strong contender for the Mexican outfit's best release. The difference is that on Spell most of the tracks blend together into one cohesive epic of arcane extreme metal, functioning psychologically as the greatest death metal song ever written while in reality being several individual compositions. On Reaching the Veil of Death, the songs are less thoroughly refined. This is still definitely The Chasm, but it's more reminiscent of the rather undeveloped attitude displayed on Deathcult for Eternity.

The riffs are still great, featuring Daniel Corchado's signature combination of death, thrash, black, and traditional heavy styles of metal into one vicious mutant of sonic monstrosity. The songs, when picked out individually, seem great. Perhaps the biggest issue is that after Procession to the Infraworld, The Chasm was beginning its transition towards long-form full-lengths as that was the format that best fit their sound. When forced into a runtime of fewer than 25 minutes, the music just feels incomplete in a way that's difficult to describe. Add on top of that the fact that this is the only Chasm release in the last two decades to feature anything less than stellar production, and Reaching the Veil of Death feels like it falls short of the high water line left by Procession just over a year and a half earlier. The vocals are nearly inaudible and soaked in reverb, while the instrumental sections in general sound a little thin as well.

That isn't it so the EP isn't worthwhile to listen to; it's an essential piece of any full discography run of the band and is a compact enough release that listening to it isn't a big commitment the way all the albums that followed are. The title track is actually among the best The Chasm has ever recorded (that intro is more headbang-worthy than just about any riff I've ever heard), and the rerecorded version of "The Gravefields" breathes new life into one of the best tracks off of From the Lost Years. The cover of Bulldozer's "Cut-Throat" that closes out the release feels a little bit out of place, but is in no way bad.

All in all, Reaching the Veil of Death falls short of the quality that is usually synonymous with The Chasm, but that was sure to happen at some point. It's a fun EP to listen to every once in awhile, but is by no means an essential piece of this legendary band's discography. While it is presented in an easily digestible format, it's more worth your while to set aside an hour and listen to one of their more recent full-lengths.

Best songs: "Reaching the Veil of Death" and "The Gravefields"

This EP is very solid. It has 6 songs (4 new songs, 2 of which are short minute and a half instrumentals, a re-recorded song from the From the Lost Years... album and a Bulldozer cover). The same style as Procession to the Infraworld is found on here. A more aggressive riffing style.

Reaching the Veil of Death is fucking awesome. Listen to those thrashy riffs! This is one of my favorite Chasm songs. Great stuff. This Spiritual Profanity is the other new song (not including the two instrumentals). After the slowdown this song really picks up with nice guitar work. The remake of The Gravefields is actually better than the original. The doomy vibe is still there, but this version is so much more aggressive. And that old-school Chasm bass is still there! The cover of Cut-Throat is one of the best covers I've heard. The Chasm are very good at covering songs. Check out their website to download covers of Slayer's Metal Storm/Face the Slayer and Kreator's Take Their Lives. Bulldozer were an early-80s Italian blackish speed metal band. Cut-Throat is from their 1985 The Day of Wrath album (which by the way is their best album and recommended). That main riff IS heavy fucking metal! Nice solos throughout also.

This EP is very enjoyable. The 2 new songs are both very good, especially the title track. The 2 instrumentals are nice. The remake is even better than the original, and the original was a classic. And the cover song just fucking rips! This is one of the better EPs I have ever heard. Not just for Chasm completists, Reaching the Veil of Death is for everyone.

"To Those Who Still Believe in the Magnitude and Real Meaning of this Immortal Way of Life. Our Cult is Getting Smaller but Growing Stronger..."