A trailer for MERIDIAN VEIL’s lead single ‘The Watcher’ accompanies the announcement that the Montreal, Canada progressive extreme metal band have signed to Season of Mist. Their debut album is due in 2027, with further details to come.
The lineup brings together guitarist Danny Marino of The Agonist, vocalist Matt McGachy of Cryptopsy, drummer Dylan Gowan of Seven Spires and cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Leprous’ touring cellist. The project traces its beginnings to Marino and McGachy’s desire to write music together after meeting in the early 2000s.
Marino places the emotional character of the forthcoming album at the center of that longstanding idea. “We are very happy to sign with Season of Mist”, he says. “When Matt and I first met during the early 2000s, we wanted to make music together.” He explains that the band were conceived as a deeply emotional project, adding: “Even though our upcoming debut album gets heavy, there’s a deep longing that runs through the cautionary tale at its core”.
For McGachy, the initial writing and recording sessions offered room to explore his singing. “I remember going home and feeling super excited”, he recalls. “Singing in this band is freeing for me. I’m happy to show that side of myself”.
The musicians also describe how their different writing backgrounds inform MERIDIAN VEIL’s sound. “When you have a band that involves writers from different styles, you get something really unique”, Gowan says. He characterizes the music as progressive metal with a very dark atmosphere and thought-provoking lyrics.
Weinroth-Browne points to the album demos as his introduction to the songwriting. “Upon hearing the demos for our upcoming album, I was struck by the quality of the songwriting”, he says. In his assessment, MERIDIAN VEIL combine aspects of 2000s death metal and progressive metal with a distinctly modern approach.
The announcement lists Opeth, Leprous, Devin Townsend and Ne Obliviscaris as reference points for listeners. ‘The Watcher’ is identified as the lead single; the supplied video is its trailer. The debut album’s title and a specific release date have not been announced.
