When most think of the psychedelic genre, it’s understandable they conjure images of Flower Power and peace signs. But there’s a much darker strain of psychedelia, my friends, and that’s the type of music that the Ottawa, Canada-based group Pallbearer Industry brings. The Black Angels make bad-acid-trip psych, but groups like Pallbearer Industry are situated in the psychedelic doom category, which is much more intense.
Pallbearer Industry is a three-piece “traveling space unit” from Canada specializing in improvised doom/psychedelic explorations. Their new full-length album is Antarctica Rising via the excellent Echodelick Records and We Here & Now Recordings, released on May 5, 2023. It’s their tenth release to date and their third full-length recording.
The band says they wrote and recorded this new album under many of the same circumstances as previous records – home recordings captured at two separate home studios and digitally swapped back and forth through a collaborative and exploratory process “built upon isolation and blind faith.” “The sounds range from extremely mellow to intense and unsettling,” they say on Bandcamp.
The unsettling vibe is what I noticed most. Antarctica Rising consists of seven tracks, with most on the longer side, and many of them are instrumental and deeply experimental. The improvised style is evident, and so are the dissonant keyboard and synthesizer sounds. There’s a noise-rock element in many of the songs and the hallmarks of post-metal – tracks that don’t fit any neat structures and meander this way and that into the darkness.
The sounds are sometimes harsh, mostly foreboding, and usually heavy. “Heretic” is one of the shortest songs, bringing a chaotic wall of noise and weird synth loops that remind me of another psych-doom band, Ufomammut. “Massive Tempest” emphasizes the drumming and more extraterrestrial synthesizer sounds. The opening track, “The Master Speaks,” embodies the feel of much of the album – it’s spooky with demonic vocals that feel like some kind of black mass incantation. “Sci-Fly” closes the record, giving off more creepy vibes and heavy doses of dark psychedelia.
Psychedelic doom is a very niche genre, but it’s one that I’ve enjoyed a lot since starting this blog and finding new bands. Pallbearer Industry does justice to this nebulous style of music, but doom fans and other experimental music should also enjoy this one. Fans of Japanese drone masters Boris may want to give this record a spin, along with followers of bands like Clouds Taste Satanic.
I couldn’t find Pallbearer Industry on Spotify or other streaming services, so you’ll have to pony up the cash to buy the album on Bandcamp. In the meantime, dig into the rest of their catalog, which includes some live recordings and the 2022 release Undead Anxiety. Enjoy!
Support Pallbearer Industry by finding them on Bandcamp, Facebook, or Instagram.
Support Echodelick Records by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook).
Find We Here & Now Recordings on Bandcamp.
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