Sacramento-based The Kennedy Veil are no strangers to Heavy Blog; we’ve long touted the act as a major part of the post-Faceless wave of modern death metal that is

9 years ago

Sacramento-based The Kennedy Veil are no strangers to Heavy Blog; we’ve long touted the act as a major part of the post-Faceless wave of modern death metal that is gaining traction among extreme music fans. Their debut full length Trinity of Falsehood was an early highlight for 2014, and they’re quickly rising to prominence among the scene fostered by their label Unique Leader Records. While we look forward to a possible second entry in 2016, the band have deconstructed a few of the influences that have made Trinity of Falsehood possible.

job for a cowboy

Taylor Wientjes (Vocals): This album in particular was a large reason why I began taking more of an interest in vocals. I was already familiar with their first two efforts (Doom & Genesis), but this one set the bar for me. I just remember hearing the first track (“Unfurling a Darkened Gospel”) and being totally captivated. The phrasing and speed matched with the characteristics in Jonny Davy’s voice were insane to me. I ended up memorizing the lyrics and practicing to this record to push myself vocally. It’s still one of my favorite metal albums to date.


metallica 1986

death 1991

Tyler Hawkins (Bass): Definitely Metallica’s Master of Puppets! As a kid I was always rocking that shit. I remember my buddy playing the title track on bass for me. I was like… That’s what I wanna do!! And DEATH is one of my first brutal favorites after my Slayer craze. Human is definitely my favorite album, brutal and melodic with a pissed off vengeance. Plus, Steve DiGiorgio ripping that fretless bass!!


the black dahlia murder 2005

the red chord 2005

btbam 2005

Gabe Seeber (Drums): As a late bloomer to the genre and being born at the end of 1990, I never really got into your typical rock and metal bands that most people quote in these type of articles until fairly recently, within the last 3-4 years. The first metal show I went to was The Black Dahlia Murder (Miasma era) and The Red Chord (Clients era) when I was 15 or 16, to give you an idea. From there I never really looked back. I was blown away by the intensity and speed each band exhibited, and I knew that this is what I wanted to do. Those two albums combined probably stayed in a constant rotation for a good handful of months, while I picked apart and memorized each instrument to figure out what they were doing. I also eventually picked up Between the Buried and Me’s Alaska and was hooked on that for a good while too. Less intense music, but very creative arrangements and song structures (which now, more recently getting into a lot of Dream Theater, I’m seeing where it stemmed from). Ever since I picked up those 3 albums, it’s just been a constant flow of new bands/music that in some way or another have all influenced my playing and songwriting, from my early influences of more extreme bands like Nile and Cryptopsy to more recent influences from more accessible names like Opeth and Gojira.


Hear how these sounds come together by checking out Trinity of Falsehood below, available now via Unique Leader.

You can catch The Kennedy Veil on tour this fall supporting Vital Remains and Necronomicon on the following dates:

10/23 – Denver, CO @ Roxy Theater
10/24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Bar
10/26 – Spokane, WA @ The Pin
10/27 – Seattle WA @ Studio Seven
10/29 – Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theater
10/30 – Reno, NV @ PB & J’s
10/31 – Long Beach, CA @ Di Piazza’s
11/02 – Mesa, AZ @ Club Red
11/04 – Lubbock, TX @ Depot O Bar
11/05 – Austin, TX @ Dirty Dog

Jimmy Rowe

Published 9 years ago