Pallbearer: Sorrow and Extinction (2012)

Crushing

Pallbearer fit their name perfectly. In fact, they could simply record a graveside service and use it as the video to "Foreigner." The solemn, sorrowful mood, and heart-wrenching melodies are perfect reflections of mourning. But they are tasked with bearing along the deceased with dignity, in this case not by marching with a coffin but by marching out crushing doom riffs. These Arkansas-based doombringers better encapsulate the mood of a funeral than most funeral doom bands.

To put them in that subgenre wouldn't be so terribly off the mark. They're steady enough and nearly slow enough. Perhaps that's why the lack of any tempo change doesn't bother me on this record. Or perhaps it's because the record is dynamic enough: dynamics of volume and texture, beautiful solos, and excellent vocals.


As sparse as they are through these five long compositions, the vocals are possibly the best part of their sound. Brett Campbell's voice is as high and thin as Ozzy's, but less reedy and far more emotive. By "emotive," I mean sorrowful. There are moments where the man sounds genuinely on the verge of weeping.



The Verdict: Pallbearer live up to their name, as well as the Profound Lore stamp of quality. Full-length Sorrow and Extinction is as good a debut as you'll hear all year. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Buy Sorrow and Extinction