Ελληνικά
Genre: Doom
Country: U.S.A.
Label: Profound Lore Records
Year: 2014
This is just Pallbearer’s second album and they have already considerably matured compared to the magnificent yet pretty unrefined “Sorrow and Extinction”, released back in 2012. Their endless touring seems to have made them more of a band. They play even tighter now, and their songs are even better-worked when it comes to the little details. And for a band that has (mainly) long-length songs, this is a completely necessary element. The thin line that separates the songs which take you into their little world for ten minutes and you just surrender yourself to them, with the ones that while you listen to them you come up with 136 better ways that you could have spent those ten minutes with is faint for a lot bands. But not for Pallbearer since they have made sure that each song on “Foundations of Burden” is a unique experience for the listener.
For those of you that don’t know them I would describe them as the definition of contemporary doom. They’re not just another band that perceives doom ONLY as slow tempos, low key tunings and rehashing ideas which have been played already by the “greats” of this genre. This doesn’t mean that their music is the product of a virgin birth. However it means that they have a strong and distinguishable musical personality and that the listener can identify them during the first few notes of one of their songs.
Brett Campbell’s singular vocal tone has a lot to do with that. And although he may not be the world’s best singer, he can deliver the feeling of each lyric that he sings in the most convincing way possible. By the way, you should make some time to read the beautiful and at the same time dark lyrics of this album; an album that rests on the particularly clever structures of its songs. Gigantic (and inspired) riffs and melancholic melodies are being put together in a way that they create an emotional rollercoaster. Of course a rollercoaster tends to have its ups and downs while in this case it has its downs and its even lowers. But that’s fine by me.
The sound of this album is amazing. Unlike “Sorrow and Extinction” where everything sounded huge, making it hard to listen to the details of the music, “Foundations of Burden” sounds balanced, providing the required space for the arrangements to stand out. At this point I would like to mention the incredible work that’s been done with the bass by Joseph D. Rowland. I don’t mean to be blasphemous but this guy’s way of playing reminded me a lot of Cliff Burton. There are times during this album when the bass parts are the backbone of the music. The last part of “Foundations” is a perfect example of this.
One more thing. The fact that “Foundations of Burden” is a must-have release for all doomsters does not necessarily mean that it’s meant to be heard only by them. For someone that is not the typical fan of this kind of music, I would recommend him/her to listen to the band’s hit song (so to speak) “Worlds Apart” first. Or “The Ghost I Used to Be” which is the most dynamic song on this album (although I should warn you that after the outburst comes the funeral).
P.S.: I don’t know much about art but I would definitely like the cover of this album framed on my wall. The same goes for the cover of “Sorrow and Extinction”
5/6
