Even in the dogmatic world of heavy metal, doom as a sub-genre is notoriously traditional. Sure, there are some bands out there trying to adapt and evolve their chosen medium but the most striking works in that field tend to adhere firmly to the blueprint laid out by the greats. That is where young Arkansas quartet Pallbearer come in to the picture. Their wicked debut album, Sorrow & Extinction, put them on the map and on the lips of clued-in metalheads the world over. They went from being a much-hyped young band with a tonne of potential to one who actually lived up to that potential, a rarity in this day and age. Curiously though, their acclaim spread much wider than that with many “non-metal” sources touting the album as one of 2012's best. So how do you follow up a stunning debut record? Will they succeed or collapse under the weight of the burden of expectations? Pallbearer answer these questions (and more) in their own unique way with Foundations of Burden.
From the very first notes of 'Worlds
Apart' it becomes apparent that you are in for a treat. It all starts
with a riff so crunchy and powerful it has the capacity to physically tear the
roof off. Brett Campbell's high, wavering vocals gel perfectly with the
grinding of concrete riffs and the residue of incense that clings to
everything (at least I'm pretty sure that's incense residue).
Foundations of Burden is not an album to take lightly. Every
single element is ratcheted up to maximum intensity and dripping with
an elemental heaviness. From there they transition effortlessly into
'Foundations', a swampy morass of down-tuned guitars tempered by the
perverse pomp of funeral doom. With just two songs down it's hard not
to be impressed with just how much this band has grown in the two
short years since their debut. The songs (while still very long) are
far more economical and cleverly arranged. And this says nothing of
the performances themselves which are infinitely more confident and
striking this time around.
As you might well expect the
atmosphere that is being cultivated is almost uniformly thick and
foreboding throughout. In fact, there is only one real moment of
levity amidst the dread and it surfaces right near the end. 'Ashes'
is an interlude of sorts that introduces a gentle piano melody, quite
at odds to the churning hellfire you will have endured to this point.
For a few shining minutes those imposing guitars get dialed back to
let a sweeter style of singing push its way to the front of the
crowd. This might well be Pallbearer's 'Planet Caravan' – a
gorgeous palette cleanser gleaming out from the darkness. But it does
not last, and really how could it in such threatening company? That
thin glimmer of light is swallowed whole by the arrival of the vast
album closer, 'Vanished'.
One of the reasons that Pallbearer have
made so many fans in their brief time together is their demonstrative
knowledge of music history in a way that's more meaningful than
simply aping their heroes. Take for example the fact that they
recruited the well-regarded Billy Anderson for production duties.
Anderson has had his hand in some of heavy metal's best loved modern
classics (having worked withSleep, Neurosis, and Fantomas just to
name a few). Under his aegis Foundations of Burden is
impossibly dense when heavy is needed but can also be sparse and
tense when it suits. Music this powerful and ornery needs a steady
hand at the controls to keep it all together and moving forward and
Anderson appears to be the very man for the job.
In the tradition of the doom greats,
Pallbearer are certainly in no hurry to tell their tale. These were
the sort of kid who were raised on early Black Sabbath, Warning,
Cathedral, and possibly some Type O Negative on the side. All but one
of the six songs on the album approach or break the ten-minute mark,
making Foundations of Burden stretch for nearly an hour.
Nobody should be under any illusion that there might be a sneaky pop
number buried in here - such ideas just don't factor in to the Pallbearer ethos. While the rest of the world keeps on moving
Pallbearer have proven that they are happy living in their own
private late-70s metal bubble. The glacial pace of this record is
absolutely definitely not going to suit everybody, but if you've gone
in expecting a healthy dose of earth-shaking doom metal then there is
a lot to like here.
Rating: B+
Recommended tracks: Worlds Apart, Ashes
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