Portland-based Forest Veil has been described by Poppycock Magazine as “eerie, haunted, otherworldly.” Her newest album consists of of songs and soundscapes that explore the tapestry of grief, enduring love, spirituality, and resilience contained in the experience of losing a loved one. Forest Veil is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist/producer Monica Metzler, based in Portland, Oregon. Following the echoes of her elusive muse, Forest Veil makes mystical “doom-folk” that maps the emotional terrain of humanity and its place in the cosmos. Melding a voice that sounds like smokey quartz with psychedelic riffs and enigmatic lyricism, Forest Veil’s sound evokes a haunting nostalgia for other worlds and connects her in a web of resonating strings to the troubadours of time. SELECTED PRESS “Her songs feel eerie, haunted, otherwordly. At the same time there is a sexiness to it, something that draws you in. There is an emptiness and mystery to the songs that make you want to know the girl behind the music. You want to know about Monica. -Poppycock Magazine, June 2014 “The 11-track album (The Cruelest Month) was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered almost entirely on her own. The result is a collection of mystical “folktronica” led by Metzler’s evocative, lounge-ready vocals, speaking of myths and personal empowerment.” -The Willamette Week “... reminiscent of Amy Winehouse or Sharon Jones in that she sounds as if she’s leapt forward from a time when smoke lined the ceilings of darkened clubs, when music was made rather than produced. Where those performers recall vintage soul music, Metzler brings to mind classic jazz singers such as Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughn, with a twist of Bohemian mischief.” -The Oregonian BIO Forest Veil (formerly known as Moniker) is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist/producer Monica Metzler, based in Portland, Oregon. Following the echoes of her elusive muse, Forest Veil makes mystical “doom-folk” that maps the emotional terrain of humanity and its place in the cosmos. Melding a voice that sounds like smokey quartz with psychedelic riffs and enigmatic lyricism, Forest Veil’s sound evokes a haunting nostalgia for other worlds and connects her in a web of resonating strings to the troubadours of time. Metzler has self-released two previous albums- Minor Key (2010) and The Cruelest Month (2014) - under the name Moniker. In 2016, she helped found Portland-based record label Spirit House, whose mission is to empower female and non-binary voices. Zoolights is a deeply personal album consisting of songs and soundscapes that explore the tapestry of grief, enduring love, spirituality, and resilience contained in the experience of losing a loved one. Seven days after songwriter Metzler's father died, she received multiple texts from his phone number that said, "Zoolights." To her, this came as a reminder from him, as well as from her spirit guides, to keep moving forward on her path; to share her stories and gifts as a legacy while creating beauty and light from darkness and despair. Throughout this process, Metzler began a project called Death Ritual, traveling the world (to places such as Oaxaca and South Korea) to research and collect field recordings pertaining to traditional death rituals. Those recordings are interwoven between each song on Zoolights, adding another personal and visceral layer of ritual art to the album. Zoolights is the first release under the moniker Forest Veil (Metzler previously recorded under the name Moniker) and was recorded at MVM Studios in Portland, Oregon with producer/engineer, Luke Hall. Zoolights will be released on October 16, 2016 on Spirit House Records–a Portland-based label that elevates female/non-binary voices as a counterweight to the male-dominated music industry.