Ackerman promotes veganism in his new band A Veil.

“I recently finished my first solo record, and I’m going under the name A Veil,” says Chapter 14 singer/guitarist Chad Ackerman.

Ackerman was still attending San Marcos High School when he joined As I Lay Dying, playing rhythm guitar with the metal band until his departure in 2003. He went on to other hard-rock ensembles such as Destroy the Runner and Chapter 14, as well as the three-piece trip-hop/electro-rock group Count Your Curses. “Chapter 14 and Count Your Curses are still alive, but they’re on hold for awhile, being that all my time, passion, and effort is going into the solo project. Guitarist Tanner Sparks and bassist Edwin Peraza [both from Chapter 14] recorded the A Veil album alongside me.”

What differentiates A Veil from Chapter 14? “Being in the heavy-metal rock scene for so many years was a lot of fun, but I really feel that this album shows who I am as a songwriter and musician. I play acoustic guitar on all of the songs and sing the backup vocals and harmonies.”

Also different, “The lyrical content is heavily vegan-themed.... I’ve been vegan now for two years, and I feel better than I’ve ever felt. I’ve been able to help others with nutritional questions and fitness since becoming vegan, and I highly promote its health and environmental benefits.” To that end, the first A Veil song being filmed for a music video is “Tombs,” inspired by a Leonardo Da Vinci quote: “My body will not be a tomb for other creatures.”

“It’ll be a zombie video,” says Ackerman. “I hired Frank Ippolito from the SyFy TV show Face Off to do all of the creature effects and special makeup effects.”

Ackerman will self-release A Veil’s debut full-length, The In Between, on November 30. “I really wanted to show other musicians that you don’t need a label to be an artist anymore. Everything with A Veil has been self-funded, self-written, self-produced, and self-managed. A lot of artists focus on getting signed or getting spotted by an A&R scout for some label....

“I worked four part-time jobs to save up for A Veil. It was hard and depressing at some points, but it paid off, and it helped me write some great material. I think when artists write from the heart, at their weakest points, songs emerge that other people can relate to.”