![]() These songs evoke feelings, to be sure, but they are feelings of despair and isolation, of a sadness known only by those who exist on the periphery of the world."ĩ. If Warning’s sadness comes from the relatability of the lyrics and their symbiotic relationship with the guitars, Asunder’s is a uniquely apocalyptic form of sorrow. "The combination of melodic, emotive guitar lines, cello (!), and the dual vocal attack of John Gossard’s unsettling, monotone invocations and Dino Sommese’s growls give Asunder a unique sort of “heartbreaking” quality. Asunder - Twilight Amaranthine (A Clarion Call, 2004) Throughout the ten minute song, Campbell reflects on the toll that time has taken on him- perhaps only a version of himself as the protagonist, perhaps himself in its entirety, who is to say? Still, I find myself pondering this as I listen to his voice, an existential query that feels simultaneously universal and profoundly personal."ħ. The sludgy, multi-layered guitars and Brett Campbell’s soaring voice crash over you in alternating waves of harrowing pain and melodic salvation, trademark 'Pallbear-isms.' However, this song is special in their canon because of its (relatively) uptempo midsection which gives way to increasingly somber passages of melodic heartache, a journey that does not offer a triumphant resolution but instead concludes with a visceral sense of acceptance. "Those boys from Arkansas create music that is equal parts gloom and fantasy, taking us through spiral galaxies into the heart of cosmic sorrow. Pallbearer - The Ghost I Used to Be (Foundations Of Burden, 2014) When that incredible solo kicks in around the seven-minute mark, I always involuntarily close my eyes and feel spirited away to a different, darker place."Ħ. Mournful Congregation’s ability to evoke that sadness comes from the beautiful harmonized leads and intricately layered heavy, clean, and acoustic guitars. Great funeral doom should enshroud you in sorrow as though you are saying farewell to someone you loved. "Good funeral doom should evoke an emotional response from the listener. Mournful Congregation - The Waterless Streams (The Book Of Kings, 2011) And to top it all off, Erik Moggridge (aka Aerial Ruin) lends his glorious voice to the maelstrom."ĥ. The “extreme” moments, when Dylan’s bass becomes a distorted wall of sound and death growls (from both Jesse and Adrian) punctuate the space between crashes, are no less impactful. The combination of Desmond’s bass technique (i.e., fretting notes with both hands, often treating the instrument more like a piano than a source of low end) and his mournful phrasing takes you - takes us - to the very well of grief and love. The story of the record’s genesis is sorrowful enough to justify its inclusion here, but the beauty of the music here can break your heart even without that background story. Mirror Reaper is not only a heart-rending tribute to Adrian, but also includes the final recordings of his voice, taken from earlier demos. This colossal work is more than just 83 minutes of harrowing funeral doom it is a profound farewell to original drummer Adrian Guerra, who died in 2016. But as band members Dylan Desmond and Jesse Shreibman have explained elsewhere, Mirror Reaper was conceived as a single (very long) song and is only divided into two tracks ( As Above and So Below) because of the constraints of physical media it is intended to be experienced in one listening session. "Look, I know this is technically an album. Bell Witch - As Above/So Below (Mirror Reaper, 2017) Come and take me away from this pain' but it’s the combination of dark words with a sense of resiliency-or, perhaps, radical acceptance of the harrowing truth of it all-that makes this song so powerful."ģ & 4. Sure, that might seem hard to reconcile with lyrics like ' My old friend will you lay me back to rest? I've been suffering so long without you. ![]()
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