Band:	Pallbearer
Album:	Forgotten Days
Style:	Doom metal
Release date:	October 23, 2020
A review by:	Gothic Metalhead

01. Forgotten Days
02. Riverbed
03. Stasis
04. Silver Wings
05. The Quicksand Of Existing
06. Vengeance & Ruination
07. Rite Of Passage
08. Caledonia

Pallbearer is always a standout act to my ears. While many doom bands have become too gothic, too stoner, or too funeral, Pallbearer continued the legacy of traditional doom that few in the past 20 years have managed to and have since become a cult act in the underground. The band's latest album, Forgotten Days, leads on a different trajectory while continuing their signature sound.

One might argue that the latest Pallbearer album has gone to a more commercial sound since Heartless, but Forgotten Days provides some of the band's heaviest and most atmospheric music. In fact, Forgotten Days is more atmospheric than Heartless. From the very start of the album, it doesn't let up with its Saint Vitus-inspired sound in the title track. A reason for the commercial sound claims is that it has some melodies that bring up the atmosphere in their music. "Riverbed" is a good example because it uses those melodic structures combined with the heavy direction. To be honest, this is the right direction. The music is still heavy and has that doom sound and at the same time this evolution from Heartless is giving the band more variety. I enjoy the musical direction that the band is going through and this album in particular has ways of doing compositions differently from going for straightforward doom as with their previous albums.

One of the biggest highlights of Forgotten Days is the track "Silver Wings", the band's longest track. This song has variety and changing tempos; it drones for some moments, but throughout the song it's epic due to the atmospheric, doomy guitars. This song also has a hint of melancholy because of the vocal performance and how it takes its time with the tempo. Because of my love of gothic metal, the song graces my ears with that chorus bass that can be heard during small pauses. This song stands out from the entire album as it combines the band's traditional sound with the added elements that are common with this album and don't drag on despite some inclusion of droning.

Let's talk about the vocals on Forgotten Days. They follow the same approach that Pallbearer is best known for, that traditional Black Sabbath-reminiscent style that sounds as if they were taking inspiration from Sabotage. Combined with the sound of the album, the vocals are still great to listen to with that added melody. As I mentioned before, the vocals still have that melancholic sound that is reminiscent of bands like Warning and Black Sabbath, even though it does lean on that commercial sound that so many have said.

I won't tackle lyrics too long on this review, but Forgotten Days has some solid lyricism. Some of the material is well-written, but it can be hit or miss for each song. Not that there is anything bad about the lyricism of the album, but it also isn't anything to write home about. These lyrics are still enjoyable especially coming from the vocal performance and the diction.

Is Forgotten Days my pick for album of the year? No, but it is one of the high points of the year in terms of pure doom metal. Not a lot of bands these days go for a traditional doom metal direction, which is why Pallbearer is one of the brightest lights for this particular sound. I would say this album has more variety as mentioned before, but it still manages to be heavy. While it's not their best album, this is still a great album to get into and continues the band's direction to something that's not disastrous, but in the right direction.