US Prog/Doom legends Pallbearer return with their most serene and fragile offering to date, Mind Burns Alive.
Some albums come through and completely side-sweep you from out of nowhere, and after experiencing them, you almost have to re-adjust and re-focus. Now, this is something I usually put at the end of a review, but quite frankly, the moment “Where The Light Fades” came through with its mournful tenor and hazy reverb, I just knew that this would be something special. This feeling is confirmed by the follow-up title track “Mind Burns Alive”, with its dominant bass parts and lingering solo producing the perfect melody for this ominous outpouring. Lyrically, this is easily the highlight track of the album.
“Signals” experiments with prolonged quieter parts that lean into the overall aesthetic. The crashing waves of despair are laid bare for all to see but are wrapped in the most beautiful harmonies. This is followed by the album’s longest track – “Endless Place”, which wonderfully showcases progression from all .
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“Daybreak” finds Pallbearer at their most meditative, and with its lonesome tale of acceptance as emotional salvation, it leaves the album’s final offering. The doom-laden “With Disease” is easily the band’s heaviest track, fitting not only for its placement but also for its prowess.
Pallbearer has managed to lay down complex feelings and emotions, injecting a musical soundscape to deal with some uncomfortable elements in a subtle yet grandeur way, and has done this flawlessly.
I didn’t have being left an emotional wreck one minute and then feeling pure exhilaration on my 2024 bingo card, but Mind Burns Alive has just managed to do that. A paradigm-shifting paradise.
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Mind Burns Alive is released on 17th May
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