Arkansas doom veterans return four years after 2020's Forgotten Days with Mind Burns Alive, their fifth album overall and second for metal heavyweights Nuclear Blast Records. Here, the four-piece once again deliver plenty of melancholy sounds, though much of their riffy heft is tempered somewhat and replaced with soaring vocal harmonies and twin guitar melodies. "Where the Light Fades" puts you quickly in Pallbearer's new headspace, an emotional, atmospheric ride that relies less on big riffs to deliver heaviness, letting the vocals and dreamy vibe do that instead. The title track though amps up the fuzz a tad, but those glorious twin guitar melodies are what again drive home the punch, Brett Campbell's almost spoken word vocals whispered softly and not making much of an impact, but thankfully the finale picks up the pace a bit. "Signals" drifts along with barely a pulse, mostly atmospheric rock until some thudding power chords blend in around the half-way point and taking the song out with a little bombast. "Endless Place" clocks in at just under 11 minutes, kicking off with some gentle acoustic guitars before the big riffing lurches in, complemented by lilting chords and Bruce's pained vocal delivery. Oh, and a saxophone solo! Yes, you read that right...sax on a Pallbearer album! Honestly, I don't mind it one bit. Good song overall, and gloomy as all hell. "Daybreak" is another of those slow burner tracks that starts off with a whimper before the distorted, mournful riffing kicks in, and the epic "With Disease" closes the album, another depressing blend of doom and gloomy atmospheric rock that, for the most part, works.
If I'm being honest, I'm still trying to figure out if I actually enjoy this album or not. Obviously, it's Pallbearer, and to date all of their releases have been of similar high quality, but Mind Burns Alive just stays in this consistent first gear and rarely moves past in. I'm finding my attention strays during many parts of this album, and while I can give them kudos for really going into uncharted waters, this one might be a bit too gloomy, melancholy, and mellow for some folks. You be the judge.
Track Listing
1.
Where The Light Fades 06:39
2.
Mind Burns Alive 07:57
3.
Signals 07:53
4.
Endless Place 10:38
5.
Daybreak 07:11
6.
With Disease 10:35
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