No matter what strand of metal you are primarily into, one should make sure to spare some time for the calm, heavy grittiness that Pallbearer so flawlessly provides. The Arkansas natives are about to release their third studio album, entitled ‘Heartless’, and as a fan of 2014’s ‘Foundations Of Burden’, I was eager to dive in.
The first track on ‘Heartless’ is a favourite by far. “I Saw The End” provides a strong opening and a great initial impression of the album. The way that the guitars harmonize during the verse riff, combined with Brett Campbell’s signature high, distant, almost yelling style of singing instantly won me over, as usual. Then, to solidify my love for this track, just over the three minute mark, came a section in 22/8 (broken down as 6/8, two bars of 5/8, and another 6/8), which put a huge smile on my face. The guitar gave way to beautiful vocal layers that I craved more of for the rest of the album, so much so that I went back and played that entire part on repeat.
The following track and single from the album, “Thorns”, is another highlight for me, as the heaviest of the seven chapters. The triumphantly sludgy guitar solo, with the deep, slow overall atmosphere of the song, works so well in contrast to the tracks before and after it. This brings us to “Lie Of Survival”, which I found to be one of the weaker aspects of the album, and where I turn around and listen to the first two again. This, along with “Dancing In Madness” and the closer, “A Plea For Understanding”, are very similar in tempo and structure, and (coincidentally?) are the three longest tracks. However, in the middle of the thick, metal lullabies, is “Cruel Road”, which launches into an epic guitar solo early in, and encompasses a fantastic ending reminiscent of a combination of The Melvins and newer Mastodon material.
Between Brett Campbell’s melodic, powerful vocals, and the heavy riffs and intricate solos provided by Campbell and Devin Holt, Pallbearer have dug their hooks in deep and pulled listeners into their dingy, epic sound. But let us not forget the importance of a good rhythm section: Joseph Rowland’s thunderous bass adds a firm backbone to the mix, although I would have preferred to hear more of it overall. The drums in particular stand out to me, as Mark Lierly sets a crisp pace, providing beats typical of a doom band, as well as throwing in more creative accents as necessary to really tie everything together. Whether it’s quarter notes on the ride, or fast snare rolls, Lierly is consistently tight, and takes an already stand-out lineup to a whole other level.
‘Heartless’ is an hour-long journey that begins with a couple of my favourite Pallbearer songs to date, and ends with an emotional, soothing, lengthy piece that puts me in a coma of sorts, lulling me off to sleep – in a good way. While I thoroughly enjoyed such a strong opening to the album, I would have preferred to hear more of that further in, rather than having it lose momentum and impact along the way. That being said, the foursome have certainly put out another notable release, delivering what fans would expect from a Pallbearer album, and so much more.