In 2009, the world bore witness to a whole new brutality, sure to brace the metal scene for years to come. Ascending from the depths of the Northern California Valley, The Kennedy Veil unleashed upon the scene their own fanatical perspective of American Death Metal.
The Kennedy Veil started as a quartet composed of Casey Childers (ex-Forktung), Gabe Seeber (Alterbeast, Decrepit Birth, ex-Wretched Dawn), Cody Walker(ex-Skribble) and Shawn Peterson. The ensemble recorded their first album “The Sentence of Their Conqueror” with engineer Josh Williams at Metal Works studios and released a compilation of 8 visceral tracks which quickly grabbed the attention of the west coast. With the release of this album, The Kennedy Veil played shows relentlessly with legendary acts such as Cephalic Carnage, Exhumed, Cattle Decapitation, Macabre, Decrepit Birth, Origin, Divine Heresy and Abysmal Dawn.
In 2011, The Kennedy Veil came in contact with Unique Leader Records and was added to their devastating roster of modern death metal acts for a multi-album deal. With the departure of their vocalist Cody Walker, The Kennedy Veil auditioned dozens of vocalists and stumbled across local front man Taylor Wientjes. With his diverse vocal range and will to decimate the masses, the covenant was sealed.
In 2012, the band went to work on writing the follow up to “The Sentence of Their Conqueror” and prepared 11 dynamic and hostile tracks which would come together to form as the “Trinity of Falsehood” – a doctrine that would enslave the ears of the lawless and govern the damned into a frenzy of panic.
THE KENNEDY VEIL 2017
…features new recruits, bassist Tyler Hawkins and vocalist Monte Bernard. “Lyrically, I drew from the current culture of our nation’s short but bloody history,” Barnard notes. “In such a short time, this political experiment has not only uncovered, but proudly enacted some of mankind’s most hideous acts. This album (“Imperium”) draws from these events, highlighting a theme of universal evil hiding under the surface of all races, cultures, and peoples.”
The occult has been a construct within civilizations all over the world, varying in degree and modernity, but always present. Each individual culture derives its occultism from the dark myths that permeate within its subconscious hive mind. America as a culture — as an experiment — has been volatile since day one. Plagued by a history of genocide, slavery, and corruption, its burgeoning occult is in its fragile yet violent infancy. Imperium highlights themes of this encapsulation: That is, fear, myth, despair, and humanity’s inclination toward utter corruption.
Taking influence from a purer, more ancient evil of European descent, THE KENNEDY VEIL has incorporated symphonic, blackened themes that parallel the lyrical aesthetic. Moving one step away from the more technical side and two steps into a deeper, darker, more blackened aggression. “The world of metal has become flooded with your quintessential ‘tech’ bands,” says drummer Gabe Seeber. “It seems to me that many metal bands of today put so much focus on cramming as many notes as possible into songs, and playing the most difficult riffs with less focus on song structures as a whole. Without taking anything away from the obvious creativity and talent of today’s generation of death metallers, we in THE KENNEDY VEIL are aiming to harken back to a more primal and aggressive form of the genre.”
“This time around, THE KENNEDY VEIL have created a work that bursts with a sense of terror, raging with ferocity, and technicality. The shift in focus on song structure has allowed for the band to explore more territory, and craft an overall work that rings with doom and death.” — Metal Injection
Imperium, the newest full-length from brutalizing California death metal unit, THE KENNEDY VEIL, is out now via Unique Leader Records.
Stream it in full via the Unique Leader Records Bandcamp page.
The eight–track Imperium was produced, mixed, and mastered by Zack Ohren (Animosity, Suffocation, All Shall Perish et al) at Castle Ultimate Productions, features guest appearances by Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, Sven de Caluwé of Aborted, and Dickie Allen of Infant Annihilator, and comes swathed in the cover art of Robert Cook.
Order bundles for Imperium are available now in our online store.
Here’s a video of KC completely destroying their song “Draconian” from Imperium.
2/17 Petaluma, Ca @ The Phoenix Theater
2/18 Santa Ana, Ca @ Malones
2/19 Las Vegas, Nv @ The Chxrch
2/20 Mesa, Az @ The Underground
2/21 Long Beach, Ca @ DiPiazzo’s (TKV Only)
The occult has been a construct within civilizations all over the world, varying in degree and modernity, but always present. Each individual culture derives its occultism from the dark myths that permeate within its subconscious hive mind. America as a culture — as an experiment — has been volatile since day one. Plagued by a history of genocide, slavery, and corruption, its burgeoning occult is in its fragile yet violent infancy. Imperium highlights themes of this encapsulation: That is, fear, myth, despair, and humanity’s inclination toward utter corruption.
Taking influence from a purer, more ancient evil of European descent, THE KENNEDY VEIL has incorporated symphonic, blackened themes that parallel the lyrical aesthetic. Moving one step away from the more technical side and two steps into a deeper, darker, more blackened aggression. “The world of metal has become flooded with your quintessential ‘tech’ bands,” says drummer Gabe Seeber. “It seems to me that many metal bands of today put so much focus on cramming as many notes as possible into songs, and playing the most difficult riffs with less focus on song structures as a whole. Without taking anything away from the obvious creativity and talent of today’s generation of death metallers, we in THE KENNEDY VEIL are aiming to harken back to a more primal and aggressive form of the genre.”
THE KENNEDY VEIL 2017 features new recruits, bassist Tyler Hawkins and vocalist Monte Bernard. “Lyrically, I drew from the current culture of our nation’s short but bloody history,” Barnard notes. “In such a short time, this political experiment has not only uncovered, but proudly enacted some of mankind’s most hideous acts. This album draws from these events, highlighting a theme of universal evil hiding under the surface of all races, cultures, and peoples.”
“Imperium sets THE KENNEDY VEIL aside from their peers, offering technicality in a deeper, more refined format… The primal, blackened influence carried across the record, mixed with the beautiful orchestration and a hint of a classically old-school death metal vibe leaves Imperium more complex in its identity than its composition – and that is no bad thing. Outstandingly well-crafted, Imperium carries hooks, atmosphere, and brutality in abundance, and the short, all-killer no-filler selection of tracks is satisfying, but leaves the listener wanting just a touch more. THE KENNEDY VEIL appears to have found ‘their’ sound, and if the brilliance of this record is any indication, it will take them far.” – Distorted Sound
“Imperium is a monster…An essential listen.”– Wonderbox Metal
“Proof that death metal band can in fact ‘mature’ without compromising their brutality and vision, Imperium once again seats THE KENNEDY VEIL at the head of the class. Brutality, melody, and atmosphere all wrapped into a package that is just as feral and caustic as any of their peers. At this point in the year, it’s safe to say that it’s also one of the strongest extreme metal releases you’ll come across in 2017.” – Dead Rhetoric
