Foundations of Burden

Redefining doom seems a fool’s errand: it’s hard to imagine a more perfect expression of despair. Pallbearer don’t try to change things up. Instead, they focus on distilling the emotional impact into its purest form. On their second album, they succeed wildly, building stately edifices out of their internal turmoil. They take their time laying their foundations (most of the songs last upwards of 10 minutes) but that only makes the results more impressive. It’s the equivalent of architects making the jump from churches to cathedrals — same purpose, grander setting.