American doom/sludge metal band Veilcaste share new single & music video »Chains«; »Hellward« LP out September 4th via Third House Communications!
Indianapolis, Indiana based doom/sludge metal band Veilcaste share new single and music video »Chains« taken from their fourth full-length album, »Hellward«, scheduled for release on September 4th, 2026 via Third House Communications.
Listen to »Chains« on all major streaming platforms!
Tracklist:
01. Embedded
02. Chains
03. Altar Of Ecstasy
04. Vore
05. Anchored
06. Hellward
07. Worn In Stone
08. I Am The Guillotine
Says the band: “Making the video for »Chains« was one of those rare moments where the creative stars aligned without any real friction. We tapped long-time friend John Scott, a killer musician with a dense background of his own (Usurp Synapse, Displacer and several others) to handle production, while the band co-owned creative direction. We built a few DIY props, repurposed our practice space and knocked the shoot out in under a day. Our goal was to channel the gritty aesthetic of the ‘90s alt and metal videos that defined our childhood while avoiding being derivative or feeling like a pastiche. We think John really nailed that balance.”
Veilcaste is an Indianapolis, Indiana-based doom and sludge metal band. Formed originally in the winter of 2010 under the moniker Conjurer, the group changed its name to Veilcaste around 2020. The band features seasoned veterans who have played in prominent heavy acts like Demiricous and Coffinworm.
Photo by Emily Burke/Detourist Photography
Veilcaste blends heavy, hook-laden riffs with psychedelic, spacey undertones and aggressive vocal deliveries. While rooted in modern sludge and doom (drawing comparisons to Crowbar, Neurosis, and Chat Pile), the members lean on 1990s alternative roots and influences like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, and White Zombie
Their fourth LP »Hellward« will be released September 4, 2026 on Third House Communications. About their latest single »Chains«, the band says: “Sludgy rager »Chains« displays Veilcaste’s roots in the metallic side of 90s alternative rock (Alice In Chains, White Zombie, L7). The track roars furiously down a dark road and through a polluted swamp before driving straight off a cliff into the void.”
Veilcaste comments on »Altar Of Ecstasy«: “Most of the songs on this album describe struggling with or losing your humanity. This one is actually about enjoying one of the most fundamental aspects of existence. What? You think we only write songs about stuff we don’t like?”
About »Embedded«, Veilcaste says: “»Embedded« is about embracing what makes us human as an act of defiance. We are not luddites by any stretch, but we are actively reckoning with the insidious presence of technology in practically every aspect of our lives. The song presents sex as transcendence and a rejection of both the false connections of social media and the race-to-the-bottom of AI.”
»Hellward« will be available on CD, vinyl, cassette and digitally. Pre-order the album here: veilcaste.bandcamp.com/album/hellward
Recorded at Earth Analog & Clandestine Arts Recording.
Engineered & mixed by Carl Byers at Clandestine Arts Recording.
Mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room.
Cover illustration by Apollonia Saintclair.
Layout by John Rau Design.
Photos by Emily Burke/Detourist Photography.
Veilcaste is:
Chris Cruz – Drums
Dustin Mendel – Vocals
T Garrett O’Sha – Guitar
John Rau – Guitar & Vocals
Gabe Whitcomb – Bass
Additional instrumentation:
Carl Byers – Keys on »Altar Of Ecstasy«, 12 String & Feedback on »Vore«
Chris Cruz – Guitar Solo on »Embedded«
John Rau – Keys & 12 String on »Anchored«, Shaker on »Hellward«, Classical on »I Am The Guillotine«
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well