The Veer Union make a triumphant return with their uncompromisingly heavy and relentlessly intense new EP Manifestations — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The followup to the Vancouver band’s 2020 album Quarantine Collaborations, the seven-track Manifestations finds singer Crispin Earl and his bandmates firing on all cylinders musically, lyrically, sonically and emotionally. The 22-minute set of devastatingly powerful post-modern metalcore is expertly, painstakingly and stylishly constructed from a fusillade of blazing drums, a wall of craggy guitars and an endless array of cutting-edge sonics and production — all in service of Earl’s stirringly cathartic vocals, blast-furnace scream and lyrics about perseverance, rebirth and boldly embracing the future.
Not surprisingly, they all come from Earl’s personal experience. “In 2012 I lost my record deal and soon after lost myself mentally and emotionally, I thought this was the end of my music career,” he explains. “After a few dark days of self-exploration, I found a small spark inside myself that lit the fire to bring me to the life I have always wanted. The moral of the story is, there is so much truth behind the quote ‘It is always darkest right before the dawn’ — so dig deep down and change your life from the fire in you.”
Those last five words — From The Fire In You — also serve as the title of the disc’s leadoff track, which sets the tone of the album with its darkly dramatic vibe and explosive majesty. Standing My Ground, When The World Awakens, Fade Into The Future, Sands of Time and Karma’s Coming For Your Crown continue the musical and lyrical themes, while the disc’s sole cover — an unexpected, massively aggressive revamp of Gayle’s pop hit ABCDEFU — shows the breadth of the trio’s range.
Speaking of range: The Veer Union are also intrepid road warriors. They have been averaging 100-plus shows per year for the last 10 years. Their 2018 Album Decade II (produced by Earl) contained four Billboard Top 40 singles and has been streamed over 35 million times. The most notable track off the album, Living Not Alive, reached No. 21 in the U.S., amassing over 11 million streams, along with two million views on YouTube and sales of 15,000.
After touring with Red, Puddle of Mudd, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Alesana and Saliva, the band released Covers Collection Vol. 1. Their version of Halsey’s Nightmare exploded on You Tube, reaching a million views in the first 30 days. It climbed to No. 25 on Billboard in the United States and has been streamed over 10 million times. In 2020 the band began releasing singles from their album Quarantine Collaborations, with three tracks reaching Top 40 in the U.S. In December of 2021, the album was released in its entirety, and within three weeks earned more than nine million streams. The single Standing My Ground premiered in January and has already reached more than a million streams.
Check out Manifestations below, listen to the EP on your preferred DSP HERE, see The Veer Union‘s upcoming tour dates below, and connect with them at their website and Facebook.
The Veer Union & 2 Shadows
4/13 Los Angeles, CA, Globos
4/14 San Diego, CA, Brick By Brick
4/15 Scottsdale, AZ, Pub Rock
4/16 Tucson, AZ, House of Bards
4/20 San Angelo, TX, The Dead Horse
4/21 Houston, TX, Scout Bar
4/22 Laredo, TX, Wonder Lounge
4/23 San Antonio, TX, Vibes Underground
4/24 Austin, TX, Come and Take It
4/25 Oklahoma City, OK, 89th Street Collective
4/26 Springfield, MO, The Outland
4/27 Columbia, MO, Rose Music Hall
4/28 Lincoln, NE, 1867 Bar
4/29 Sioux City, IA, The Marquee
4/30 Des Moines, IA, Lefty’s Live Music
5/2 Chicago, IL, Reggies Music Joint
The Veer Union, Heartsick and Late Night Savior
5/3 Westland, MI, The Token Lounge
5/4 Jeffersonville, IN, Maxwells House of Music
5/5 Fort Wayne, IN, Piere’s (Stan’s Room)
5/6 Akron, OH, The Vortex
5/7 Pittsburgh, PA, Preserving Underground
5/8 Syracuse, NY, Average Joe’s
5/10 Harrisburg, PA, Stage on Herr @ HMAC
5/11 Teaneck, NJ, Debonair Music Hall
5/12 Providence, RI, Alchemy
5/13 Frenchtown, NJ, Artie’s – Frenchtown
5/14 Richmond, VA, Richmond Music Hall
5/15 Washington DC, DC9
5/16 Virginia Beach, VA, Scandals Live
5/18 Jacksonville, NC, Hooligans
5/19 Spartanburg, SC, Ground Zero
5/20 Jonesboro, GA, Furnace 41
5/21 Birmingham, AL, Ghost Train Brewing
5/24 Dallas, TX, Trees
5/26 Colorado Springs, CO, Sunshine Studios Live
5/27 Denver, CO, Roxy Theater
5/28 Salt Lake City, UT, Urban Lounge
5/29 Las Vegas, NV, Rockstar Bar
