What’s up, guys? It’s that time again. There’s still some good birdshit coming out this go ‘round. Read on and see.
On their fourth record, American doomsters Pallbearer hit us with their most “metal” effort in years, Forgotten Days. This is doom, no doubt, but to succinctly pigeonhole this is a little tough. The best way to describe this record is “vintage doom”, and although it has a more retro feel, it is most definitely Pallbearer. Coming off of 2017’s Heartless, which was mostly a rock record, this feels more classic Pallbearer. Harkening back to their first record, there are some slight differences here. In general, there is a more expanded and classical vibe on this, and there are more synths than on previous efforts. The riffs here are memorable and even though this is a SLOW record, it never comes across as being pedantic or super repetitive. Admittedly, the band stated that they wrote songs so that the audience could really dig into the overall vibe and just kind of get into it. There are a ton of doom bands floating around out there, and on Forgotten Days, Pallbearer channel their inner Black Sabbath with a healthy dose of Pink Floyd thrown in. Well done. 8 Fucking Pecks.
Where do these bands get these names? Sticking with the “doom” theme here, well more of a “trad metal mixed with doom” theme. Old Mother Hell are releasing Lord of Demise on Cruz Del Sur. This has a Cirith Ungol vibe, moving from some “death doom” stuff to more traditional heavy metal. What REALLY sticks out to me here is that this doesn’t come across as some new jack kids trying to ape a sound. There’s a genuine spirit and overall feel here that makes it feel “real.” My big hang up with this is I feel that the vocals are a little hard to get past. You know, that kinda soaring vocals that can only really be done by certain people. This record isn’t bad; in fact, it’s pretty good. The only issue is—and it’s a serious one—it’s mostly forgettable. I dig it, and may even give it another spin or two, but it’s not cracking any end-of-the-year lists. 6 Fucking Pecks.
Until next time… Waldo out!
