I’ve been following Planning for Burial for quite some time, since their monstrous album Leaving was released in 2009. They, I felt, came closest to the peaks that Have A Nice Life reached, and in many ways achieved something just as great but entirely their own. Thom Wasluck is the mastermind behind this project, and his music is earth-shattering heaviness, pure despair and crushing defeat. It’s a mix of Shoegaze and Sludge Metal that works amazingly well, his wall of sounds are incredibly rich and thick with layers and layers of sound. I’m actually seeing him play live in a month and I cannot be more excited.
Wasluck wastes no time and comes crashing in with the bombastic Whiskey And Wine, setting the stage for the overwhelming atmosphere of this album. Somewhere In The Evening is when he brings the hammer down and really slams you with an ungodly deep guitar that’s of course completely distorted beyond the point of recognition. I’m amazed that it’s only a 5 minute song, because it feels so long, the effect stretches out your perception of time quite well. There is room to breathe though, as the noise fades out to be replaced with a plaintive piano. The instrumental Past Lives is just amazing, the looped scratches have such an eerie but visceral feel. It leads into another instrumental (Something), but this is a much more electronic Drone feel to it. I think this is where Planning For Burial is at it’s best, the sampling choices and layerings are just endlessly fascinating. The album reaches it’s peak with Dull Knife (Part II), an epic 11 minute long dirge that grows it’s sound to incredible heights very slowly. The lonely lyrics are chanted as a driving, mechanical and methodical beat is pounded again and again. It’s an emotionally draining song, and the title track is actually the outro, exhaling with a dirty bass and more chanting.
The unassuming album art is the only thing I don’t care for on Below The House, and really that doesn’t matter all that much. This is definitely in my top 10 for the year, and I feel like the more listens I give it, it’ll climb. If you’ve listened to this album and like it, check out his other albums including his debut Leaving (2009).
p.s. going to just take a week off so I’m caught up, my bad.
Lucid Reviews 