Every. Single. Time. ‘This is their best, how can they make their sound any more diverse and consuming?’ REZN never stop making me incredulous at their pioneering sound, taking leaps and bounds ahead of the zeitgeist of doom and delivering soundscapes that provide headbanging psychedelic experiences like no other.
Burden is the follow-up to a two-part series, preceded by Solace which I was lucky enough to lend my writing to last year as well. It picks up immediately following the epic closer to Solace – “Webbed Roots” – one of the bands trippiest tracks. The way “Indigo” picks up directly from the fading riff is perfect, eliciting a feeling of déjà vu that persists throughout the album.
I’ve been saying to my better half this week that REZN provides a comfort for me to listen to, a safe harbour of incredibly heavy metal, mixed with vocals that can only be described as the true ASMR of metal. Rob McWilliams’s voice is stunning, with Solace and the incredible collaboration with Vinnum Sabbathi, Silent Future, showcasing his incredible talent to convey deep emotion through soft vocals, whilst still absolutely leading the show and directing the flow of music when involved. This pairing is insanely relaxing, whilst also delighting the senses with its amazing exploration into sound.
“Indigo” is definitely one of my favourite REZN tracks of all time, owing to the monstrous riffs, paired delightfully with Rob’s vocals and an amazing synth wail. Accentuating riffs, vocal hooks, and more, the synth is one of the best uses of such an extreme sound I’ve heard in metal for a long time, capturing your focus and driving the song forwards really well. “Instinct” will hit hard for fans of Chaotic Divine, with the band leaning away from the post-metal influences they channel so heavily in Solace and Burden, favouring the slow, psych-doom march that Divine had in reems of its songs.
The short interlude that follows “Instinct” reminded me to go back and listen to their Infected Ambient Works again, a record I highly recommend for those studying or working on something intense. Hopefully we’ll see more of that side in the future, but who can complain when we’ve received nearly two hours of content from them in the last two years alone, especially to such a high calibre.
“Bleak Patterns” also feels like a bit of a throwback to their even older material to begin with, before delivering a marked shift in sound, akin to Pallbearer with an epic melancholia-soaked chorus launching out across their mountain of sound into the stratosphere. Halfway through, they drop one of my favourite moments on the album. The doom riffs are cranked to the nines, paired with vocals, before suddenly the band drop a slight pause. The sudden reset before launching back into the same riff has a monumental effect, channelling the headbanging and turning the riff into a full ten. And the best part? REZN aren’t afraid to let those riffs keep on chugging, giving you optimal time to enjoy.
REZN chose their singles wisely, with “Indigo”, “Collapse”, and “Chasm” each showing strengths and unique selling points from the album. “Collapse” is arguably the most psychedelic on the record, the headline riff and vocals creating a sensory experience unmatched on the album. The percussion is absolutely phenomenal, both the delivery and the mix, with the drum hits resonating through my body when played over speakers. The synth work in this track is otherworldly too, certainly taking from the experience with Vinnum and translating it into another unbelievable track.
Fans of the sax will love its slow introduction in “Soft Prey”, a slow building epic that shows REZN‘s diversity. But my favourite track off the record, “Chasm”, steals the spotlight straight after. Another song that relies on a marching doom riff, but one mixed so well it leaves me speechless on frequent listens. It is raw as fuck, demanding primal movement from your body. The shouting cleans of McWilliams are perfectly weighted against these monumental riffs to begin with, before the band goes pure instrumental for the final two minutes. Somehow the riff manages to get heavier and heavier, before coming to a static-y, brutal finish.
The harsh cut-off serves the album well, allowing you a moment of respite to soak in what has just happened. I keep saying it is therapy in an album, especially paired with part one, Solace. The exploration of sound is enough to engage most people, I feel, but the quality and dedication to their art puts REZN on a pedestal.
I’d also like to shout out the incredible album art by Adam Burke. It seems anything that is touched by his brush is also a golden record, but the combination of mountain and magma for Solace and Burden is one of my favourite pieces. I pray that REZN release this as a poster to collect! All in all, a stunning collection of art by brilliant artists.
