Foundations of Burden

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Foundations of Burden
Pallbearer fobalbum.jpg
Studio album by
Pallbearer
ReleasedAugust 19, 2014 (2014-08-19)
RecordedFebruary−March 2014
StudioType Foundry Studios (Portland, OR)
Genre Doom metal
Length54:54
Label Profound Lore
Producer Billy Anderson
Pallbearer chronology
Sorrow and Extinction
(2012)		Foundations of Burden
(2014)		 Heartless
(2017)

Foundations of Burden is the second studio album by the American doom metal band Pallbearer. It was released on August 19, 2014 via Profound Lore Records. Recording sessions took place at Type Foundry Studios in Portland from February to March 2014. Production was handled by Billy Anderson.

Contents

The album debuted at number 90 on the Billboard 200, number 10 on the Top Hard Rock Albums and number 14 on the Independent Albums charts in the United States and number 19 on the Official Independent Album Breakers Chart in the United Kingdom.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10 [1]
Metacritic 88/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The A.V. Club A [4]
Exclaim! 9/10 [5]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [6]
musicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Now Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
Paste 8.2/10 [9]
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [10]
PopMatters 7/10 [11]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]

Foundations of Burden was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 88 based on sixteen reviews. [2] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 8.2 out of 10, based on eleven reviews. [1]

John Semley of Now praised the album, calling it "a master class in School of Iommi doom metal". [8] Jason Heller of The A.V. Club also praised the album, writing "it's quite simply moving, the sounds of dislocated souls finding a voice at last". [4] Natalie Zina Walschots of Exclaim! called it "an effort that is even more emotionally ambitious an undertaking, and all the more wounding for its beauty". [5] Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork resumed: "as obsessed as Pallbearer is with endings, the music here is timeless". [10] Michael Madden of Paste claimed: "even though the album is crushing, the band's penchant for melody is what elevates Foundations of Burden above otherwise comparable records from this year". [9] AllMusic's Thom Jurek found "the album and its production make catharsis part of an evolutionary process, not an end in itself". [3] Sam Shepherd of musicOMH noted the album "showcases the development in the band's songwriting skills". [7] Steve Lampiris of The Line of Best Fit called it a "fantastic sophomore effort". [6] Sean McCarthy of PopMatters wrote: "if there are any faults on Foundations of Burden, it's that the middle portion of the album tends to succumb to a sameness sound, which is almost inevitable when you have two 10-minute plus tracks back to back. Fortunately, the demand for subsequent listens is hardly a laborious task, given Brett Campbell's stellar, sustained vocal delivery". [11]

In mixed reviews, Tiny Mix Tapes writer concluded: "Foundations of Burden is special, there's little question of that, but the precocious virtuosity of the performance doesn't change the fact that the material is far from challenging". [12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Worlds Apart"10:16
2."Foundations"8:41
3."Watcher in the Dark"10:40
4."The Ghost I Used to Be"10:17
5."Ashes"3:19
6."Vanished"11:41
Total length:54:54

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2014)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [13] 90
US Top Hard Rock Albums ( Billboard ) [14] 10
US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [15] 14

References

  1. 1 2 "Foundations Of Burden by Pallbearer reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Foundations of Burden - Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Foundations of Burden - Pallbearer | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Heller, Jason (August 19, 2014). "Pallbearer brings doom metal to the brink once again". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Walschots, Natalie Zina (August 15, 2014). "Pallbearer │ Foundations of Burden". Exclaim! . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Lampiris, Steve (August 18, 2014). "Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Shepherd, Sam (August 18, 2014). "Pallbearer - Foundations Of Burden | Album Reviews". musicOMH . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Semley, John (August 28, 2014). "Pallbearer - NOW Magazine". NOW Toronto . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Madden, Michael (August 19, 2014). "Pallbearer: Foundations of Burden". Paste Magazine . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Stosuy, Brandon (August 12, 2014). "Pallbearer: Foundations of Burden". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  11. 1 2 McCarthy, Sean (August 19, 2014). "Pallbearer: Foundations of Burden | PopMatters". PopMatters . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Music Review: Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Billboard 200". Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 6, 2014. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Top Hard Rock Albums". Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 6, 2014. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Independent Albums". Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 6, 2014. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
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