For one week only - replenish your soul in Pallbearer's Foundations Of Burden!
Described in Hammer’s pages as ‘a monumental achievement’, Pallbearer’s imminent second full-length, Foundations Of Burden, released on August 19 via Profound Lore Records, is one of those rare opuses whose distinctive, emotional honesty reaches far beyond genre conventions, captivating everyone in its path regardless of musical affiliations.
Foundations Of Burden might be steeped in doom lore – you can find traces of the inconsolable pastoralism of My Dying Bride, Katatonia’s long-haunted hinterlands and Ozzy’s exiled croon – but this is doom shone through a prism, breaking out into an array of dazzling, last-light hues that feel like you’re entering into virgin if still exquisitely forlorn territory./o:p
Following the likes of Royal Thunder and Sólstafir, Pallbearer’s transformative odyssey resonates far beyond their underground roots, and Foundations Of Burden is an album that will be talked about in reverential tones for years to come. Thanks to the good grace of Profound Lore, we are very proud to host the album in full. You have one week only to immerse yourself in its glory, so enter now or mourn its passing, and check out our interview with bass player Joseph D Rowland below!/o:p
Our review of Foundations Of Burden said: ‘Expansive and emotive, to label it merely doom is almost to do it a disservice’. Has the ‘doom’ tag been an albatross in any way, or does it provide a legacy to draw from?
“Well, both in a way. I won’t disagree that a major part of our sound comes from all sorts of things that people refer to as doom, whether it be anywhere from Black Sabbath, to more extreme forms like dISEMBOWELMENT, Colosseum or My Dying Bride. We are fans of and are influenced by all sorts of music though, and I think it has started to shine through with this album, much more so than Sorrow And Extinction, which had a somewhat narrower scope.”/o:p
2012’s Sorrow And Extinction was recorded under trying personal circumstances. How had your perspective shifted or moved on when it came to recording Foundations…? Do you find recording the albums a growing experience, personally?/o:p
“Well, we are definitely in a different place now, although I’m not sure if you mean the recording process itself or the entire creation of each record. Both albums had their own sets of challenges, and difficulties, in our lives that they drew their inspiration from, and likewise during the recording process.”/o:p
Was working with producer Billy Anderson (Cathedral, High On Fire, Neurosis, countless others) a learning experience?
“It was, and it was really incredible just how easy he made it seem. He has a truly extensive working knowledge of recording and is very talented too. He really helped us get the best out of our performances on the album, in my opinion.”/o:p
Why do you think Pallbearer has touched a nerve beyond the metal community? How have traditional doom fans responded?/o:p
“I believe we have reached a bit outside of the metal community. I’ve had more than a few conversations with older music fans who have said that they were into King Crimson, Sabbath, Kansas and Crazy Horse for instance during the 70s and that we reminded them in many ways of that era, and one individual even said, regarding Sorrow And Extinction, that they hadn’t heard an album that affected them in such a way since the release of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. It’s definitely very humbling to hear something like that. I love music of that era more than any other, it’s cool to know that we’ve ended up appealing to people who were actually there for it, to some small degree at least!”/o:p
Are Pallbearer albums an internal landscape, or do you feel there’s something about your immediate environment that’s shaped the sound? Is there any parallel with bands such as Agalloch, who seem to map personal expression onto the landscape?/o:p
“Definitely internal. I usually envision a sort of dreamlike landscape for any of our music that might have some sort of reference to physical surroundings. We’re not really influenced by nature for our music, although I do enjoy and revere it in my personal life.”/o:p
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Order the Foundations Of Burden CD here!
And the double vinyl version here!
