Halfway through their five week tour with The Devil Wears Prada - we caught up with Lukas Magyar (vocals) and Marc Okubo (guitar) of Veil of Maya to talk tour, and their recent release False Idol.
Did anything change when writing and recording False Idol or did you follow the same formula as your previous records?
Lukas: This process from my perspective was a bit different. We worked with multiple producers which allowed us to work a little faster without sacrificing the quality of the songs.
Marc: I wrote this album with Max Schad which was definitely a new experience. Writing with him was a lot of fun and we ended up becoming really good friends. We also wrote the album knowing that we were going to have a lot of singing as opposed to having mainly death metal styled vocals in the past.
What themes or ideas can we expect to hear in the lyrics of False Idol?
Lukas: False Idol carries a darker theme overall, while touching on our world's past time in a futuristic setting.
Marc: Lukas made the lyrics a concept album that tells a story from the first person.
Favorite song off the new album?
Lukas: I always find this question difficult to answer because truthfully there is no favorite. The same amount of effort goes into each song and the album wouldn't be what it is without each track. I like to leave this one for the fans. I always enjoy hearing what their favorites are.
Marc: Follow Me
Your video for “Overthrow” hit over 700,000 views, with tons of praise. How has the response felt on your end?
Lukas: Phenomenal! I don't think we could've asked for a better response.
Marc: Pretty cool I suppose. It's been hard to pay attention while on the road I guess. I really like being busy on tour so I don't get wrapped up in reading horrible youtube comments.
Favorite song overall to play live?
Lukas: Again, just an impossible question to answer for me personally.
Marc: I really like Lee Loo because it's really easy and high energy.
What song do you remember most from your childhood?
Lukas: "One" by Metallica. That song still slays!
Marc: Pat Metheny Group - Tell It All
What hobbies do you turn to when you're feeling "burnt out" or unmotivated to work on music - to help respark the passion?
Lukas: Video games! I just let my brain melt away for a couple hours. Sometimes I'll pick up my camera and film or take photos, but mostly I'll hop online on my PlayStation and relax.
Marc: I like reading, collecting and playing video games, movies and tv shows.
What's your favorite venue you've played at thus far?
Lukas: I can't get enough of The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. The place is a labyrinth but it's a great venue and the shows never fail to impress. That crowd always goes hard.
Marc: I really liked Stage AE, The Wiltern, Playstation Theater
What venue or city are you most looking forward to conquering in the future?
Lukas: I would consider it a great accomplishment if we got to a place in our career where we could pack out The Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Marc: I still dream of going to Dubai
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, on a song who would it be and why?
Lukas: I wouldn't mind sitting in a room with John Lennon and discussing philosophy while we jam.
Marc: Chuck Schuldiner because his songs formed my guitar style more than any other artist
What can we expect from Veil of Maya in 2018? A headline tour for False Idol?
Lukas: There's only one way to find out! Honestly, it's all up in the air at this point. I'm sure there will be some headlining.
Marc: Yes! We definitely plan on touring on the new album. Hopefully some other cool surprises as well!
photos by Marcia Zeledon.