Post Death Soundtrack—Veil Lifter (2024)

Post Death Soundtrack—Veil Lifter (2025)

Details

Engineered by Jon Ireson. Mixed and mastered by Casey Lewis at Echo Base Studio. Released 16 April 2024.

For fans of: Alice in Chains, Mastodon, Pearl Jam, Voivod, Tool, Windhand, Russian Circles, Queens of the Stone Age

Band

Vocals – Stephen Moore
Guitar – Stephen Moore
Additional guitars – Jon Ireson
Bass – Jon Ireson
Drums – Casey Lewis

Tracks

At the edge of it all (intro)
The die is cast
Killer of the doubt
Icy underground
Arjuna’s hunting hand
Lowdown animal
Tide turns red
Burrowing down the spine
Pin prick
Immovable
Hammer come down

Review

Post Death Soundtrack is a heavy music duo from Vancouver who blend doom, grunge, sludge and progressive rock into something shadowy and hypnotic. Veil Lifter (2025) is their fourth album and perhaps their rawest yet, a guitar-driven descent into introspection and decay that still finds ways to surge upward with resilience and colour.

The album opens with “At the edge of it all” (track 1), a short intro of layered voices and glitching textures that acts like a flare in the dark, hinting at the emotional turbulence ahead.

“The die is cast” (track 2) begins with drums that instantly reminded me of Four Sticks. What follows is a sludged-up, dirt-smeared spin on the famous “Come Together” groove before the track breaks away down a back alley of snarling riffs and deep, scooping bass. The chorus echoes that unmistakable Alice in Chains harmonic shape. Two thirds in, everything dissolves into an ethereal mirage of the main riff, only to re-solidify for a grimy close. It sets the tone beautifully.

“Killer of the doubt” (track 3) opens with a twisting Mastodon-esque figure and throaty vocals that, for a moment, genuinely had me wondering if Troy Sanders had wandered into the session. Then comes the shift: a doom-soaked, elephant-heavy riff that stomps with enormous weight. The song’s long runtime gives space for its ideas to mutate, darken and breathe.

“Icy underground” (track 4) slides in on soft cymbals before unveiling one of the most blues-inflected riffs here. It is slow, nasty, melodic and strangely sorrowful. The vocals lean into that grief, and the references to elephants made me smile. There is a Voivod-meets-Mastodon acidity that makes the track feel longer than its five minutes, though not in a bad way. It is immersive.

“Arjuna’s hunting hand” (track 5) begins like the score to a haunted fairground attraction before shifting into a straighter rock piece with a late-period Voivod slant. It feels like a thematic midpoint, a clearing of the fog before the next plunge.

“Lowdown animal” (track 6) is another standout. Riffs coil and snap like early Mastodon, while the vocals hint at Soundgarden’s darker moments. There is an acidic melody and a grungy, windswept mood that reveals more with every listen. The album’s influences feel like they are being slowly excavated.

“Tide turns red” (track 7) thrashes forward with all the subtlety of bricks in a washing machine, twisting between grunge grit and Atlanta steel. It is short, violent and addictive.

“Burrowing down the spine” (track 8) continues the album’s wonderful sense of momentum: bouncing, groove-heavy, edged with Voivod’s angular atonal touches. The vocals are mournful but spat with conviction. Ten tracks into the album and it still doesn’t feel repetitive – the palette is consistent, but the ideas keep shifting shape.

“Pin prick” (track 9) is a sharp, punk-like burst with clockwork riffs and busy drums underneath. A third of the way through it opens into wide, aching chords with space for the bass to roam before snapping back into its mechanical pulse. It is short but satisfying.

“Immovable” (track 10), the eight-plus-minute centrepiece, begins with ambience and wordless moans before building into a lurching slab of sludge. The riff feels ancient and patient, as though carved from the bedrock. Even here, this deep into the record, the band reveal new ideas. The late guitar solo is a highlight.

Finally, “Hammer come down” (track 11) drives the album home with a relentless, twisting riff that reminds me a little of Less. The vocals flirt with flatness but never fall into it – it is a clever stylistic choice that adds tension. The drums pound like a determined locomotive, carrying the album to a strong and fitting close.

Conclusion

With each listen, Veil Lifter (2025) reveals a new influence or a new accent hidden beneath the grime. It never feels derivative; it feels like a band fluent in a heavy music dialect, speaking it with their own voice and cadence.

This is a dense, thoughtful, deeply textured album that rewards repeated listens. Every pass through it reveals another hidden seam of influence or intention. It is heavy, expressive and unafraid to let riffs mutate in unexpected directions. A confident, compelling statement from a band carving out their own corner of the heavy landscape.

Review score: 90%

Video

Disclosure

Zach at MDPR contacted me inviting me to preview Post Death Soundtrack’s forthcoming album, thank you. I have no connections to either Zach at MDPR or Post Death Soundtrack. I’m not being paid to review this, but I did get a free digital copy of the album to review which is pretty cool. Many thanks to Zach at MDPR, and to Post Death Soundtrack for continuing to create fresh, exciting heavy music.