Pallbearer: Exhilarated Doom
With deeply emotive lyrics, highly expressive melodies and darkly crashing riffs. PALLBEARER have struck upon a powerful formula. Hardly surprising given the catalogue that the US doom legends have already amassed. Previous release, Forgotten Days, garnered a hugely receptive response from both fans and critics. New release Mind Burns Alive is poised to earn a similar level of renown and carve a space on both album of the year lists and potentially a place in the pantheon of great doom releases. We sat down with vocalist/guitarist Brett Campbell to discuss all things doom and the new album.
For those that have heard it Mind Burns Alive is a different album from its predecessor. As Brett freely admits, “it’s different in many ways. Strangely enough though, the songs were created alongside those that became Forgotten Days. Rather than making a double album it became obvious that this should be two albums. The material was very different. That way we could mix them in totally different ways, Forgotten Days was a try at making traditional PALLBEARER songs in under ten minutes.”
This new album has a return to the more exploratory sense of PALLBEARER and showcases an emotive vulnerability. Again, as Brett explains this is no accident. “It’s quieter, it’s definitely more personal. We usually draw subject matter from our lives. Mind Burns Alive is very close to home. Without going into too much detail, but the songs called for that intimate approach. The music came first and I was listening to stuff over and over again and I’ll essentially sing nonsense words over the top to get a melody then return time and again to get the right words out.”
For an album of the calibre that Mind Burns Alive eventually became, many artists would spend a large amount of time agonising over certain parts and refining each aspect. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case here. Testament to the original songwriting and the creative dynamic of PALLBEARER. “Surprisingly the early versions of the songs are damn close to the final mixes. We made some refinements, but they were the subtle stuff. A lot of it was the drums, for example working on dynamics like using brushes on Signals. Looking for the best feeling for what the song required.”
To draw a single from an album like this, Brett laughs, “it’s always a difficult choice as they’re never composed with a single in mind. Hey, check out our catchy ten-minute song.” But it appears that there was a unified decision between the A&R representatives and the band enjoying all the songs for what eventually became the initial release of Where The Light Fades. “We let those guys who have done this sort of thing before make those decisions,” Brett clarifies. “We trust their decisions. It’s the same reason for letting others mix the record, it enables us to step away from a project we’ve been so close to.”
For a band like PALLBEARER, words like veteran and stalwart have become part of their press releases and advertisement. They’re a band that have been touring consistently and producing high quality albums. They’ve picked up the label of doom although their music could be attributed to several other descriptors. They certainly don’t come across as veterans, as they’re clearly not living on former glories nor are they rehashing tried and tested ideas for new releases. However, given their longevity so far, they’re in a position to see the undeniable rise in popularity for the doom genre. “It’s easy to play,” Brett states with a wry smile. “It’s easy to start a doom band, I’m joking but there is some truth.” Going on to clarify, “there’s some really cool bands out there and I’m happy that doom is as popular as it is. But there is a lot of SLEEP or ELECTRIC WIZARD clones, it’s easy to emulate but really hard to do well. As a fan though, I’m always looking for something to excite me, I want to see bands put their own spin on things. Those bands are out there and I love finding them.”
With the album now out and receiving many positive reviews from fans and critics alike. The immediate future of PALLBEARER is looking rosy, at least as rosy as it can be for a doom band. However, they’re a band that have also extensively toured. 2024 is set to be no different, with a North American tour lined up in the coming months. This is followed by a European set of dates alongside GRAVEYARD and BARONESS in the latter half of the year. They’ll be plenty of opportunity to hear these excellent songs live.
When it comes to touring, PALLBEARER are always looking to have a good time. “We always do some dumb stuff to make each other laugh. There’s always something silly going on.” Going on to say that they’re a close group of friends that hang out outside of the band as well, “the road is an extension of our goofing around and friendship which is great.”
While their music might be carefully considered, written and refined to a highly expressive level. PALLBEARER are a band that are laid back when it comes to who they are. “We don’t consider ourselves to be anything, like, genre wise. People call us doom, so we call us doom. Although it is on our website [Laughs]. But we could be called many different things.” They’re a band that are as happy to hangout with each other socially as they are holed up in a recording studio and that balance is key to a band that can, on record at least, sound very intense.
Mind Burns Alive is out now via Nuclear Blast.
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