#6
Band: Pallbearer
Album: Foundations Of Burden
Release: August 19th, 2014 via Profound Lore
Length: 55:00
Tracklist:
1. Worlds Apart
2. Foundations
3. Watcher In The Dark
4. The Ghost I Used To Be
5. Ashes
6. Vanished
Where to begin? Well. I am new to this band. Doom Metal isn't usually something I actively seek out, however I was wanting something with more to it than what I usually listen to, something with my grit, a bit of a sludgy doom metal sound and Pallbearer fit that perfectly. It's a rather melodic album despite the kind of music it is. I'm more used to that more growl vocalized doom metal with a more brutal, slow approach.
I call this album a masterpiece. My reasons being the impression it left upon me. I don't exactly have the proper knowledge on doom metal to appropriately talk about the overall tone or theme of the album, but there's a deep sense of despair, death, hopelessness, forlorn all throughout the album. But it's just so damn well done! I am utterly blown away by this band. Not entirely sure of anyone here that loves this kind of music knows of the band and would agree with me here. But damn. This is good stuff ladies and gents.
The opener Worlds Apart is a nearly 10 minute and a half long epic of dark, doomy euphoria. It is a hard and heavy track with tons of texture. It brought early Katatonia to mind, which is one of my most beloved bands on the planet. Well executed, Worlds Apart.
What follows is another great track, Foundations, nothing short of epic in its own right. It is nearly 9 minutes in length, and every bit of it is splendid. One of the bands finest moments on the album.
Next up is Watcher In The Dark, the second longest track on the album and also one of the heaviest, and arguably the bands finest moment on the album, but also maybe the bleakest or darkest sounded track too. This track is just pure doom metal bliss. It'll engage you right from the start, and have you whipping that matted long hair around in slow-mo fashion. What a mammoth of a track.
Coming after Watcher In The Dark, is the masterful The Ghost I Used To Be. This song takes on a sort of ghostly tone in contrast to the other three before it. But it is plentiful of fuzzy, resonating rif***e. This track comes close to rivaling Watcher In The Dark. It's great.
Next up is Ashes. It's more toned down track serving as an interlude of sorts. It's atmospheric, but kind of beautiful too. Perfect track to lead in the a grand closing track.
Vanished. This track started off as my favorite on the album. But after going back and listening to the album a few times. Watcher In The Dark ultimately won that title. Not really sure how to go about describing Vanished. It's a track that sort of gave me an isolated feeling. Not in a bad way. I felt like I could be nestled at the peak of a snowy mountain, onlooking ravaged land below me from some massive snow storm. Well. Yeah, I'm just not sure how to describe the song. So I'll just say that it is a great way to round out a flawless album.
All in all. Foundations of Burden gets an extremely firm 10/10. And have a look at that album artwork, would you? Badass! Check out some of the tracks below.