PALLBEARER – Mind Burns Alive (Album Review)

Arkansas-based doom metal ensemble Pallbearer have long been masters of their craft and major players in their field. Mixing intoxicatingly gruff dirges with serene contemplations, it’s not difficult to hear why, and many fans would agree that their last studio LP (2020’s “Forgotten Days”) represented their peak. At the same time, they’ve been reducing their destructiveness with each release, so follow-up “Mind Burns Alive” is expectedly their softest and most welcoming compilation to date.

Full of dreamily exquisite arrangements and earnest outcries – as well as a fair amount of aggression, don’t get me wrong – it’s sure to please listeners who prefer the lighter side of their spectrum. Even fans looking for Pallbearer’s trademark multilayered hostilities will find a lot to like, though, and regardless of personal preferences, it’s impossible to deny that “Mind Burns Alive” is a refreshing but recognizable and indispensable entry into the group’s already prestigious catalog.  

A “heartfelt mediation on isolation, trauma, and mental breakdown, framed by the possibility of redemption and the quiet, aching beauty of escape” – the official press release explains – “Mind Burns Alive” succeeds at stirring up contrasting emotions. Vocalist/guitarist Brett Campbell adds: “These songs are a deeper exploration of dynamics and sonic color than anything we have done up to this point. . . . [They] are vignettes which tell stories of people who deal with myriad sicknesses of the spirit.”

Indeed, it’s a dark yet beautifully poignant journey, especially during its gentler observations.

“Where the Light Fades” is perhaps the best showcase of that not only on the album, but in Pallbearer’s whole career. Kicking off with gloomy synth chords beneath cascading guitar lines, it’s a mesmerizingly melancholic but invigorating way to begin, and Campbell’s crestfallen verses (“We are frozen here / Picking at wounds we will not let heal / Cannot face mistakes / Too many fears of what might be real”) are equally gut-wrenching. Naturally, the instrumentation becomes fiercer and fuller as the track develops, but it never loses that superbly crestfallen core.

“Signals” and “Daybreak” are even sparser and slower – at least during their first halves – making it easy to get lost between their spaces and sucked into their echoes. The former tune is particularly airy, whereas the latter is consistently filled with the sort of affective black metal droning that made Agalloch’s “The Mantle” and “Ashes Against the Grain” so subtly soul-destroying.

Elsewhere, “Mind Burns Alive” prioritizes the belligerence fans have come to love from the quartet.

The title track is a steadily commendable (if relatively unremarkable) example of that, yet its second single “Endless Place” that truly impresses. Defiant and dense all the way through, it’s an inherently captivating movement that’s bolstered by a tranquil saxophone solo from Amasa Hines’ Norman Williamson near the end. Fittingly, closer “With Disease” is among the band’s bleakest and heaviest compositions, and captivates from beginning to end.

No matter how devotees feel about Pallbearer’s bigger emphasis on delicate tapestries, it’s impossible to refute that “Mind Burns Alive” is a logical and wholly satisfying successor to “Forgotten Days.” They’ve always excelled at crafting resonant passages that are simple and soft, so the fact that they’re doubling down on that approach here is wonderful. Plus, they’re as consummate as ever at handling the forceful stuff, too. Sure, some of it sounds too similar, but that’s par for the course with the style, and beyond all else, “Mind Burns Alive” allows Pallbearer to progress without losing their identity.

Release Date: May 17th, 2024
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Doom Metal

Musicians:

• Brett Campbell / Vocals, guitar
• David Holt / Guitar, vocals
• Joseph D Rowland / Bass, synth, vocals
• Mark Lierly / Drums, percussion
• Norman Williamson / Saxophone (on “Endless Place”)

“Mind Burns Alive” Track-list:

1 Where the Light Fades
2. Mind Burns Alive
3. Signals
4. Endless Place
5. Daybreak
6. With Disease