Heavy Song of the Week is a Heavy Consequence feature that breaks down the best metal and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, the theme song is “Where the Light Fades” by Pallbearer.
A couple of weeks ago we presented Inter Arma as our heavy song of the week. Speaking about their new material, the band members shared a moving and somewhat personal collective statement, mentioning that they have often felt “too metal” or “not metal enough” for their target audience over the years.
As someone who has faced this conundrum with my own musical production, I can relate to Inter Arma. And that's also why I find the new song from that band's upcoming tourmates, Pallbearer, so fascinating.
“Where the Light Fades” is a captivating pivot for the Arkansas doom team, and one that transcends (if not completely ignores) the conflict between Metal vs. Not Metal Enough.
“I'm of the opinion that true heaviness comes from emotional weight, and sometimes simple forcefulness is not the right approach to conveying a feeling.”
Those are the words of guitarist and vocalist Brett Campbell, whose singing takes center stage on the simple track. Instead of riffs and pure volume, we get lush chord palettes that rise and fall in crescendos: sounds more closely linked to the genres of progressive rock or even slowcore (which isn't too far removed from doom metal when the high level is turned down). gain and riffs).
This emotional directness is often avoided in heavy metal, which makes this comeback single, Pallbearer's first track in four years, even braver.
Honorable mentions:
Fragile body – “Horizon line”
The inspiration behind Frail Body's latest single, “Horizon Line,” is intense, to say the least, and follows vocalist and guitarist Lowell Shaffer who has to make a decision between staying on tour or returning home to be by the side. of his sick mother, who would pass shortly after. Shaffer feels like he made the wrong decision at the time, and the sheer pain of that emotional weight and internal conflict is tangible on the Illinois scream group's latest single.
Melvins – “Allergic to food”
“Allergic to Foods,” true to its title, captures all the manic anxiety of suffering from a food allergy. Fiery guitars are backed by a cacophony of relentless percussion, reminiscent of the hyper-noise rock of Melt Banana and Lightning Bolt. The key is the dual drum section of Dale Crover and Roy Mayorga, whose drum tracks are stacked and composed to the point of claustrophobia. We can only assume that the Melvins, who never make artistic concessions, took great delight in creating this demented and terrifying piece.
Billy Morrison – “Crack Cocaine” feat. Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Stevens
Ozzy Osbourne was quick to inform his fans that his new collaboration with Billy Morrison, “Crack Cocaine,” is not actually about crack. “It's about being in love with a girl,” Ozzy said. “But it's pretty much what you'd think Ozzy Osbourne would do. “They are the two loves of my life: drugs and women.” The heavy tones and grizzled, blues-inspired delivery of Morrison and fellow Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, combined with Ozzy's vocals, give us immediate flashbacks to Zakk Wylde-era Ozzy, and we're not complaining. . In fact, this sounds even more like those old Ozzy records than the more recent ones with Andrew Watt.
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