Veil of Maya released two standalone singles in 2019 and 2020 – "Members Only" and "Outsider" – with no mention of a full-length on the way. Guitarist Mark Okubo tells the MetalSucks Quarantine Cast the new album has about eight songs right now, but has been pretty delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.
"I was working in a studio last year on the album, and we were able to record skeletons of maybe like, eight songs, so it was kind of an incomplete album. And then we were going to finish after the tour, or on the tour and after the tour, and all this happened. So now it’s just kind of disenchanting to listen to it ’cause it’s not finished and I’ve already heard it a lot.
"I mean, I guess right now I want to start from scratch and write as many new songs as I can and maybe go back and finish the old ones and have a lot of material. I guess that’s where I’m at right now."
The bad news is that Okubo seems to be suffering writer's block due to not being able to see live music.
"For me, not everyone’s like this, but for me I like to be out and about. I like to see live music and get inspired by that or get inspired by my relationships and my friends and stuff. Without having that, even without having that energy in the room while I’m trying to write, it makes it a lot harder to believe in what I’m doing.
"And also not knowing when concerts are going to come back is also not the most motivating thing, especially for this kind of music, this is music that’s meant to be played live. I grew up going to hardcore shows, and you don’t play that kind of music to sit in you room and meditate. It’s an aggressive, social thing."
Still, Okubo said he plans to have the record done and out in early 2021. Mostly due to feeling guilty about doing anything but writing.
"Realistically it will be very early next year just based off of everything that’s happening. Hopefully I have it written by the end of next month or so, that’s the goal. I can’t even play video games or watch TV cause I always feel like I’m supposed to be working on the album. I don’t like being pressured [laughs], I like hanging out and having it come… like [these songs] usually write themselves, you know what I mean? So I’m just out, hanging out with people and I’m like ‘Ah! Idea!’ And then, there it is."
