This interview with Beyond the Veil offers insight into the creative process behind their latest release, Oblivion, highlighting the band’s approach to balancing intensity and atmosphere. Drawing on influences from classic progressive rock and modern extreme metal, the group discusses how these elements are integrated into both their songwriting and their broader narrative vision.

By Sandra Pinto

The conversation sheds light on a compositional approach built around contrast and cohesion, where heavy and restrained passages are carefully structured to flow as a unified whole. Rather than treating Oblivion as a purely stylistic exercise, the band frames it as a work focused on dynamics, emotional continuity and structural intention.

Reflection is described as a journey between melodic calm and extreme intensity. How did the idea of creating such a striking contrast come about?
Yoshihiro – Yeah, I’ve always been drawn to progressive stuff since way back. There’s something about how it blends intensity with beauty and emotion—it just feels natural, you know? That contrast really stuck with me, and I think it’s shaped the way I approach writing music in a big way. It’s definitely one of my main sources of inspiration.

The lyric video closely follows the atmosphere of the song. What was the process of creating the video like, and what role did it play in the song’s narrative?
Yoshihiro – We shared some visuals that really captured the vibe of the track with the label’s video team, and we kinda locked in the direction together right from the start. From there, we just built it up while staying on the same page the whole time.

The lyrics mix English and Japanese. What is the impact of using these two languages on the emotional expression of the song?
Yoshihiro – This time around we stuck to English for the whole album, but going forward we’d love to start bringing in Japanese too—there’s a certain sound and emotional nuance to it that you just can’t get any other way. I think it could open up a whole new side of what I do.

What feelings or personal experiences inspired Reflection?
Eric – This is actually a different take on lyrics for a song of the same name that I wrote for a previous band around 2008 or 2009. This version jumbles up the order of the lyrics from the older version to intentionally make the narrative aspect less clear but the overall theme a bit more clear. In essence, it deals with two themes: impermanence and personification, a reflection of human qualities and emotions in places where they do not exist.

Reflection anticipates the album Oblivion. What other elements can fans expect from the record in terms of sound and themes?
Yoshihiro – Like you mentioned in the first question, a lot of the songs jump between heavy and more stripped-back moments. “Reflection” is actually the shortest track on the record, but I feel like it packs the whole vibe of the album into the most compact form. I mean… it’s still pretty long, though.

Your sound blends thrash, death, black metal, jazz, folk, and classical music. How do you manage to balance these influences cohesively in each track?
Yoshihiro – One of the biggest things for me was making sure the contrast between the heavy and the quieter parts really stood out, but without it feeling chopped up or disconnected. I wanted everything to flow as one piece, like the whole track just unfolds naturally.

What is the central message or concept behind Oblivion?
DBK – The whole concept is basically fusing modern extreme metal with the kind of ’70s–’80s progressive rock we grew up loving. On this album, some tracks lean more toward the extreme metal side, while others drift more into prog rock territory—but overall, I’d say it balances out pretty evenly. As for the next album… honestly, I’ve got no idea where that ratio’s gonna land.

The album marks a bold step for the band. What differences or evolutions can you highlight compared to your previous work?
Yoshihiro – This is the first album as Beyond the Veil, but the next one’s probably gonna lean a bit more toward the extreme metal side. The stuff we’re writing right now is pretty damn intense. I’m really looking forward to figuring out how to layer that ’70s–’80s prog vibe on top of it—should be interesting, so stay tuned.

You and DB Karma are the main composers. How does your team-based composition process work?
Yoshihiro – I handled most of the songwriting and overall production on the record. DB Karma was involved more in terms of the piano intro, some fragmented ideas across the tracks, and giving objective feedback while things were still coming together. Since he wasn’t too deep in the weeds, he could look at everything from a bit of a distance—and that perspective ended up being way more important than just a supporting role. He really helped shape the direction and tighten up the final result. For the next album, we’re kinda flipping the process—DB Karma’s bringing in the core ideas, and I’ll be handling the arrangements to finish the tracks. That’s the direction we’re working in right now.

The band has undergone lineup changes over the years. How have these changes influenced the group’s dynamics and creativity?
Yoshihiro – When you bring a different person into the process, the whole vibe shifts—their sense, their energy, all of it. That naturally started adding new perspectives, both in how we work together and in the music itself.

What are the biggest challenges when writing progressive and complex music without losing emotion and narrative?
Yoshihiro – One of the trickiest parts was keeping that sense of tension even in the quieter sections, so it naturally pulls you into the next heavy hit without losing momentum. At the same time, I had to make sure the emotional flow between the lyrics and the arrangement didn’t feel forced or disconnected. Getting that balance right was tough—but honestly, that’s the part I enjoy the most.

What promotion and touring plans do you have for Oblivion following its May release?
Yoshihiro – Nothing lined up at the moment, but as soon as something’s confirmed, we’ll announce it on the website.

How do you hope fans will connect with Reflection and the album more broadly?
Yoshihiro – For us, it’s less about “understanding” the album and more about just feeling it. I want people to step into it in their own way—bring their own emotions, their own memories, and let it hit them however it does. If the music leaves something behind in someone, even just a small thing, that’s the most important connection we could ask for.

What are your long-term ambitions as a band within the international progressive metal scene?
Yoshihiro – Rather than putting some big goal into words, it’s really about just continuing to make music we genuinely stand behind. If we keep building on that, and it ends up reaching people who connect with it—across different countries, different scenes—then that’s all we could really hope for.