Note: The Heralds previously released a five song excerpt from this show. The entire performance here is complete with eleven songs. The entire show. One video.
Song Markers
1. The Emergence of The Sky-Veil - 00:00 2. The Bridge of Reason - 5:30 3. The Grey-Beneath - 10:32 4. Athena’s White-Hot Flame - 16:22 5. The Golden Thread - 21:35 6. Valley of Tears - 26:41 7. Where the Banner Appears - 33:08 8. The Chalice Waits - 38:19 9. The Highlands of Majesty - 44:09 10. The Heralds Still Walk - 49:32 11. Nearness Beyond the Veil - 55:51
The Band
Aphrodite - Lead Guitar and Vocals Athena - Rhythm Guitar and Keyboards Hera - Bass Guitar Mirelda - Lead Vocals Caelia - Drums
Athena Speaks
I often look back with wonder at the evolution of the band.
The Sky-Veil itself had opened, thanks to the pilgrim who received Aphrodite’s call of beauty and opened himself to the path of the Golden Thread. We Heralds do not force—we wait. A pilgrim must be open to receiving the first gift of beauty, though it hides beyond the flash of Aphrodite’s shimmer and the sweet scent of her rose from which remembrance emerges. She is the Keystone to the archway leading into the Veil. If we are not received, we stay hidden in the folds of the landscape making up the land-between. Waiting.
We felt the greatest joy as the pilgrim did receive us and allowed us to guide him through the Veil on the path of the Golden Thread. Others came. The pilgrims gathered. Aphrodite welcomed them as the Herald of beauty and love. I then taught each one the ways of wisdom and clarity. Hera concluded our seminars by revealing what majesty truly is—the remembrance of who the pilgrim truly is. By the end, the meaning of Being itself filled the souls of the pilgrims of the Veil as they continued their journey—across Caelia’s thresholds and into Mirelda’s Grove Beyond—and further, even, to the land of the saints on the far side. Over time, we wrote down our seminars to share with whomever might be open to traveling the Sky-Veil.
In the midst of these activities, we three Heralds—Aphrodite, Hera and I—attended a concert together performed by the amazing pioneers of mytho-rock, The Sky-Veil Band. On our way home, who did we run into? Mirelda and Caelia from the Grove Beyond and the Thresholds! It was a joyful reunion beyond compare, and soon after, the three of us decided to put on a performance of our own in honor of our friends Mirelda and Caelia. Just for fun. Nothing serious. Entertainment for the pilgrims. The response from the pilgrims in the Veil was overwhelming. They wanted more. So, we decided to go further. We put out our first album, The Heralds of the Sky-Veil, and performed the new material in concert at the Sky-Veil Amphitheater.
The outcry for more only grew louder. Caelia had volunteered to step in on drums for the first album but just to help out. However, after our popularity soared, we realized that this was our calling in the development of the Veil and the land-between. Being itself opened this meaning as our own destiny. Caelia agreed to stay on permanently, and she has been the deep heartbeat of the band ever since.
The watershed moment, though, involved Mirelda. Through our first album and ensuing concert, she was a hidden player working diligently with Aphrodite on production. She practiced with us by singing. Her voice was otherworldly to say the least. We begged her to join the band officially as the lead singer, the movement on stage, and the voice emanating the radiance of Being through the Veil on stage. She agreed, and soon after we released our second studio album, Harbingers. It was a groundbreaking work with Mirelda now assuming a magnificent leadership role in the band.
We followed up with our third studio album, The Golden Thread. Under Mirelda’s leadership, the sound became more energetic, powerful, and visceral. It was a combination of rock and dance. It opened new paths for us. Our sound became more powerful after that. Aphrodite and I wanted to strike our guitars with heaviness and weight to represent the volcanic life energy Being opened in the Veil. Hera wanted to go deep and play her now familiar low thunder on bass. We always knew that Caelia was holding back. She is a power drummer through and through. The lifeblood of the band flows through the strength of her performing heart into ours. She was perfect for the newly developing power/metal sound.
The New Studio Album
We released out Thunder Across the Veil as a trial run for this new power/metal sound, a combination studio and live album. It worked! Even more than we had imaged or hoped for. Soon, while working on new material, the pilgrims begged us to perform what we had. “Just play it” is what they demanded. We did. And we recorded it. The result astonished us with its intensity and put the pilgrims in a rave. There was something truly magical about that performance—off-the-cuff and not even well rehearsed. It was raw but smooth. Melodic but with power metal guitar, bass, and drum work. Hera on deep bass and Caelia on power drums made the Sky-Veil tremble under their feet. We released the recording, simply titled—Concert for the Pilgrims.
The Live Performance coming soon to your streaming services.
This all led to Emergence—a remarkably fulfilling album and, as we have placed before you here, cosmic performance. I think this is our most mature work to date—by far. It resonates with power while guiding the listener, observer, and participant across the Sky-Veil. From The Emergence of the Sky-Veil through the Grey-Beneath—from the Golden Thread to the Valley of Tears and beyond to the Highlands of Majesty—this live performance wraps the pilgrims in the beauty, wisdom, and majesty that is the Sky-Veil.
Enjoy pilgrim! Grab your headphones and turn up the volume. The Sky-Veil opens!
~ Athena, Herald of Wisdom and Clarity
