Pallbearer’s debut full-length, Sorrow
and Extinction, impressed many upon its release with its utterly sincere take
on traditional doom metal. It combined the core elements of Black Sabbath with
the drama of Candlemass and the snail-paced crawl of funeral doom such as
Evoken. It resulted in a very likable and worthwhile release that had many
metalheads, young and old, raising their horns in approval, rocking out to the
album’s wall of guitar sludge and soaring lead lines. Foundations of Burden,
their latest offering, was met with even more acclaim from fans and critics
than its predecessor, with Decibel in particular calling it a “goddamn
masterpiece” and naming it Album of the Year. However, The Needle Drop
criticized it for its lack of contrast and gave it a mere 5 out of 10.
Unfortunately, Mr. Fantano makes a
decent point. Foundations of Burden oftentimes feels like a massive barrage of
parts glued together into one big, long song, and it has the potential to be
very difficult to listen through in one sitting. While some albums that are “massive
barrages” can be amazing (see my review of Pig Destroyer’s Prowler in the
Yard), Foundations of Burden moves at way too slow a pace to justify doing so,
as to be expected from a genre which moves so slow it can impede time for the
person listening to it. Almost all these tracks breach the ten minute mark and
feel too obtuse for their own good, resulting in a very tiring listen that,
again, can be difficult to get through even for those who were in love with
their debut. In all, this album feels like it was given way too much fertilizer
and then overgrew the planter box the band put it in.
This isn’t to say that the album is no
good, not at all. Musically, the band is pushing themselves creatively way
harder than they did on Sorrow and Extinction. The songs here sprawl and
explore in a way that was only hinted at on Sorrow, and while they do feel a
little too big much of the time, if one looks closely at any individual track
they are likely going to be impressed with the way they swell, recede, twist,
and turn. The production is also a step up from its predecessor as well. Sorrow
felt quite muddy at times while Foundations sounds sharper with more treble
coming out in the mix, but without sacrificing the heaviness of the guitars and
drums that makes the band so heavy to begin with. The epic lead guitar melodies
that were played with on Sorrow and Extinction also make a triumphant return on
this album; just listen to the beginning of “Worlds Apart” to hear one of the
most gorgeous lead lines you’re bound to hear this year, or any year for that
matter. While the album sounds very good, it can still be a chore to dedicate
an hour listening to.
Pallbearer is no doubt an impressive
band, and they may well deserve the “saviors of doom” tag they sometimes get,
but there has to be more contrast between songs to heighten the impact on the
listener going forward from here. Without it, we’re left with something that
feels like one very long dirge into doomsville, something a doom metal record
should actually avoid. This may not be Pallbearer’s “goddamn masterpiece”, but
it firmly sets them on the road to something that has the potential to entitle
themselves as the Kings of Doom.
7.9/10
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