In a country with a Metal scene that is, for the most part, the preserve of by Black and Death Metal acts, VEIL OF DECEPTION have gone down a slightly different path of extremity. Since they formed in 2013, they've been peddling their brand of Groove Metal, and indeed doing it well. They're debut record, "Deception Unveiled", helped to establish them on the scene. They're latest full length, "Tearing Up The Roots", builds upon the foundations they laid with the last record and showcases a band that are growing as musicians as well as songwriters.

The short, introductory track, "Dream Within a Nightmare", blends clean and distorted tones very well to create something that helps to shape the expectations of the music on the following nine tracks on the record. Once "Stench of Fear" kicks in, we get a taste of some very modern sounding, Thrash influenced Groove Metal. The vocals are much cleaner than you would expect from a Groove Metal band, and the production is likewise polished and pristine, although luckily not to the point where it sucks all the life out of the music. We get a few melodic guitar lines peppering this track throughout, but for the most part, the music is built around a thick, crunching rhythmic chug. There are some slower, clearer guitar tones utilised in the second half of the track which helps to inject some diversity into the sound, and we get a decent guitar solo as well. Although this is not the strongest track, it's still a fairly good way to ease the listener into the album. "This Is My Reality" definitely has a lot more melody in it guitar wise, but other than that, it's sadly quite a forgettable track. This mid-tempo track doesn't build or develop the record any further, and it really could use from a few more musical ideas. "Personal Holy Grail" certainly improves the musicianship somewhat, but the vocals, like on all the tracks up until this point, just do not fit the music very well.

"Shadow on the Wall (Pt.1)" marks the point when the "Groove" in the bands sound comes to the fore, and we are treated to some impressive drumming. The vocals blend much better with the music on this one as well, and both the music and the vocals compliment each other, to a degree. The album is starting to hit its stride at this point, and "Summer's Dying" goes from strength to strength. It's a much slower and softer, for the most part, and it only gets heavier when it's called for. The vocals definitely suit a cleaner, softer guitar tone, and it would be great to see this band work to this strength in the future, because this song does work very well, and ends up being one of the records strongest, and indeed best, offerings. "The Spell" initially has a lot of promise, but falls just short of the mark, and although it's an adequate track, it's far from a great one. "End of the Road" has a powerful, Stadium Rock tinge to it, although, at its core, the song is more ferocious than anthemic. This another marked improvement from the opening tracks on the album. The records penultimate track, "Redemption Mode", is another more relaxed affair, and it again really brings out the better side of the vocals. Along with "Summer's Dying", this is the best track on the whole record, and sounds very cool. The final song, "Of Lunacy and Sands (Pt.2)", brings the record to a close with a much more groove-laden track. There's still a distinct lack of memorable riffs at some points, but it's a world away from "Stench of Fear", and has some parts within it that have clearly been well thought out and crafted by the band. It's a great way to end what was, to begin with, a fairly mediocre record.

This really is a hit and miss album. The first four songs don't really hook you or draw you in, but the second half of the record is a vast improvement. The two main reasons for this lie in the vocals and the guitars. For a "Groove Metal" band, there's not a ton of memorable riffs or musical ideas that grab you. This is not down to a lack of muscianship, because there are plenty of melodic sections that show that they have the means by which to make some really memorable songs. The vocals, on the other hand, don't gel with the music on about half of the tracks. It's on the softer songs with the cleaner tones that you really get to appreciate them. Having said all of this, this is only the bands second album, and they are a relatively young act. It's rare that a band comes along and has their sound solidified within a record or two. Hopefully the record that comes after this shows a marked improvement.