ALBUM REVIEW: Mind Burns Alive – Pallbearer
Four years on from the riff-packed Forgotten Days, doom heavyweights PALLBEARER are back with album number five. Mind Burns Alive provides six tracks of emotionally charged, engaging metal, incorporating elements that long term fans of the band would have become accustomed to, while still offering a fresh sound. Plunging the depths of personal emotion and relatable subject matter, matched with superb instrumental performances, PALLBEARER have surely crafted one of the most emotive slices of doom of their career.
Opening the album the band successfully generate a sound that combines delicate space and engaging speaker filling music. The light, clean guitar introduction to lead single Where The Light Fades is given a substantive effects wash that generates a captivating pull. As the song builds and further elements are added, the spacious delivery continues with the reverb and choral effects. The band demonstrate an impressive sense of how to use mixes and augmentation in a way that is not overbearing but serves the music exactly as intended. Interestingly, the opening track contains all of the elements found throughout the album, however, this is certainly not a one and done situation. Firmly establishing lyrical themes as well as musical ones, Mind Burns Alive still contains a bounty of spellbinding doom-laced melancholia and even exultant high points.
Across the album not only is the songwriting and delivery of the music impressive, the mix and production is equally grand. The weight of the songs is propelled to the fore thanks to the sound presentation. This is exemplified on Signals and Daybreak, both of which tie for the standout out track on what really is a special album. These songs feature an engaging blend of space along with a thicker wall of sound, and Signals incorporates silences that are as loud as the full band to great effect. However, as both tracks ebb and flow, the respective mixes swell and the layering of sounds is superb. The combination of the full band augmented by the intensified mix allows the crescendos to swell to peaks that are utterly engrossing. All the while the lyrical content reflects a deeply personal level from the band while still having a wider reaching engagement to be equally stirring to an outsider.
In a juxtaposition to the fragile sounding opening, With Disease closes out the album with a raw, aggressive edge. The crashing instrumentation and unrestrained vocal delivery shed the delicate illusions conjured at the beginning, exposing the emotions that have simmered below the surface. It does what every great final song does, rounding out the overall album but leaving the audience wanting more.
Combining triumphant crescendos and attention-grabbing decrescendos, Mind Burns Alive is a passionate and evocative work. The use of sparseness within the songwriting helps to elevate the moments when the wall of sound joins together to deliver the soaring melodies. The heartfelt delivery of the lyrics advances the striking emotional levels of the music. With such a poignant collection of songs and sublime musicianship on show, Mind Burns Alive is a truly excellent album. It will likely secure a spot as both one of the standout albums of the year and as a future doom metal essential.
Rating: 10/10
Mind Burns Alive is set for release on May 17th via Nuclear Blast.
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