For Palehorse / Palerider, the combination of dreamy shoe gaze and atmospheric doom metal has yielded an ethereal blend of music. The Denver trio's new album, Burial Songs, is four tracks spanning nearly 40 minutes of music. The extended lengths on each of the songs allows for an immersive experience for the listener. "Sundowning," for example, possesses an entrancing quality that stems from a low-lying hum partially hidden within the mix. Dubbed as "doomgaze," Palehorse / Palerider pens morose lyrics to oppose the often uplifting tone of their music. "Sundowning" or "Tamám Shud" therefore feel airy and meditative. Yet, when one explores the words attached to the song they will find that is a much more somber affair.
This ultimately creates an intriguing dichotomy that makes doomgaze tag appropriate. The instrumentation ebbs and flows like doom metal does but a crystalline stream of strings becomes favored over dissonant riffs. As Burial Songs blooms into a fully engrossing experience it builds to an emotive crescendo in its final moment, "Nero." Much like recent, great doom albums, say Yob's Clearing the Path to Ascend or Mizmor's Yodh, the final song brings a fitting conclusion to an emotionally striking album.
Burial Songs initially came out back in February but it is finally receiving a much-needed physical release. Cassette collectors can pre-order a copy of the tape at Graven Earth Records, along with many other titles. Vinyl will also be available to pre-order on Palehorse / Palerider's Bandcamp page. Make sure to follow the band and label on Facebook too. Check out the album below.
