First albums are so full of excitement and ideas, often raw and searching for an identity. The second album for any band is a test. Second albums are often stark realizations that a band just didn't have enough ideas to have real staying power. They can also be an affirmation of the identity explored on the first, a more cohesive composition with depth and sharper song-writing. Foundations of Burden is exactly that album. I wasn't very impressed with Pallbearer's first full-length because it sounded too much like a throwback doom album. It had obvious potential but it didn't have the modern edge necessary to compete with other bands in the scene. Foundations of Burden still has an old-school flavor, but Pallbearer have taken advantage of modern resources to transcend their first attempt. The production is fuller and warmer, the vocals have a touch of reverb and they're brought forward in the mix allowing them to soar above slow electric harmonies. The songs themselves have a much deeper emotional presence. Each track on Foundations of Burden has a strong identity, but they all belong together. This is a masterwork of modern doom and it deserves that level of praise.
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