''Forgotten Days'' is the fourth studio album by American doom metal band

Pallbearer A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles o ...

. It was released on October 23, 2020 through

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

, making it the band's first full-length for the label. Production was handled by

Randall Dunn Randall Dunn is an American record producer, audio engineer, and musician. As a record producer, he has worked with musical acts such as Sunn O))), Six Organs of Admittance, Marissa Nadler, Wolves in the Throne Room, Boris, Anna Von Haussw ...

Critical reception

''Forgotten Days'' was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At

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, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

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score of 84 based on eight reviews. The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 7.3 out of 10, based on seven reviews. Jon Hadusek of ''

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'' praised the album, stating that it "is arguably the best doom metal album of 2020 and an impressive label debut. Thanks to Dunn's minimalist production, the album is a sonic pleasure, and it's instantly more listenable and accessible than '' Heartless''.

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's Thom Jurek wrote, "''Forgotten Days'' is the album that will likely unite all Pallbearer fans. Its return-to-roots aesthetic is planted in a physical base that carries the band's dark, progressive doom into a new era". Hannah May Kilroy of ''

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'' wrote, "There's nothing too out there on ''Forgotten Days'' – the '80s synth of the closing "Caledonia" probably the biggest surprise, but a welcome one: a playful take on the pain of the past – and all the tracks are solid, with any experimentation woven tightly around Pallbearer's doom roots. This is the sound of a genre being refreshed, and of a band making it entirely their own". Dave Everley of ''Classic Rock'' magazine wrote, "Their fourth album takes yet more detours, but without ever losing sight of the path. Devotees of lead-heavy riffs will be spoilt by the title track and "Rites Of Passage", and the pace never exceeds sluggish". Grayson Haver Currin of ''

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'' wrote, "These eight songs grapple candidly with amily loss but, like the music itself, the words don't wallow. Instead, Pallbearer use these tragedies to revel in being alive, or to answer the 'gnawing doubts that I ever learned to live'". Jake Cole of ''Spectrum Culture summarized, "offering up the most focused, heaviest record since their debut, Pallbearer further cement themselves as one of modern doom's luminaries". In a mixed review, Trystan MacDonald of '' Exclaim!'' said, "Gone are the crushing riffs and transitions, replaced with subdued progressions. It's a real blight on much of the record, unable to keep the listener enthralled or interested".

Year-end lists

Track listing

Personnel

*Brett Campbell – vocals,

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

(tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6), guitar, piano, synthesizer *Devin Holt – backing vocals, guitar *Joseph D. Rowland – vocals, lyrics (tracks: 2, 5, 7, 8), bass, synthesizer, guitar, baritone guitar *Mark Lierly – drums, percussion *

– producer, mixing *Justin Morris –

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Matt Colton Matt Colton (born 30 March 1975) is an English mastering engineer and member of the mastering group of the Music Producers Guild. He has mastered recordings for artists such as Muse, Coldplay, James Blake, George Michael, Hot Chip, Gary Numa ...

– mastering *Rob Kimura – design, layout *Michael Lierly – paintings

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2020 albums Nuclear Blast albums Pallbearer (band) albums Albums produced by Randall Dunn