Review: Burial in the Sky – The Consumed Self

Style: Progressive Technical Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Dan
Country: USA
Release date: 13 August, 2021

It is no secret that I love saxophone in metal. Bands like Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa and White Ward continue to push the boundaries of the genre by adding influences from far outside the metal spectrum and using liberal saxophone in their compositions. I’m a little picky though – adding a sax solo out of the blue, Intervals– or Rivers of Nihil-style* feels a bit half-assed to me. Saxophone should be elevated and respected, given a proper compositional role rather than just a spicy out-of-context solo.

I’d say, given their latest opus The Consumed Self, it’s now safe to add Pennsylvania’s Burial in the Sky to the list of metal’s saxiest bands. The album’s nearly hour-long runtime covers a wide swath of emotions and soundscapes, and through it all is a sprinkling of melodic, skillfully played sax. Given bassist Zach Strouse’s dual-duty on saxophone, however, it does end up a bit more on the “spicy solo” side of the spectrum than as a compositional omnipresence. To the band’s credit though, the sax is an indelible and integral part of their sound, and I for one am definitely not complaining.

*It’s worth noting that the Rivers of Nihil solo was, in fact, a guest appearance by Burial in the Sky‘s own Zach Strouse

I am a huge fan of diversity and dynamics in my metal, and this album fucking delivers. Rich atmospheres and immersive jazzy soundscapes abound on The Consumed Self, amidst technical death metal chops and a deathcore-esque songwriting sensibility. There’s also a fuckin’ theremin solo! How cool is that?!

Album opener “The Soft Violet Light” draws instant comparison to The Contortionist, with vocalist Jorel Hart channeling his inner Mike Lessard, crooning over ethereal ambiance. The songs, however, quickly diverge from such atmospheric prog influences, foregoing them in favor of a much more typical technical deathcore vibe. The prog tendencies are never too far, though – The Consumed Self is unafraid to take bold steps in whatever direction it chooses, making for a multifaceted and dynamic listen. Use of a wide variety of instrumentation unlocks plenty of unique textures and soundscapes. There is excellent atmosphere throughout the entire record. I think they ultimately overuse abrupt heavy -> soft -> heavy transitions a bit, but for the most part, transitions are thoughtful, and passages flow well.

The pacing on the album is quite good, but at a hefty 57 minutes, all the heavy bits start to blend together. There are a few notable odd-time grooves, and the proggier bits are quite tasty, but most of the riffing initially comes across as pretty unremarkable. This is partly because there are few riffs without vocals over them. The vocals are competent but kind of unexciting, in the way that a lot of vocal-heavy technical deathcore can seem unexciting because there are thick vocals all over everything so no particular phrases have a chance to stand out. When a song is either riff+vocals or leads+no vocals, there’s not much opportunity for riffs to shine. If you dig deeper beneath the vocals and really focus on the guitar playing, however, you’ll find it engaging and nuanced, with solid riffs ranging from chonk to blackened tremolos and everything between.

After a handful of spins, it becomes obvious that few of the songs have strong, memorable melodic motifs. The most telling manifestation of this is an analysis of the leads: they tend to fall a bit flat and are easily forgettable, despite being technically proficient and enjoyable. I say this with respect to both guitar and saxophone. For an album this dynamic and creative, I’d expect a few more hooks – or at least stronger ones that feel more pervasive in the songwriting – and one way to reinforce a song’s thematic melody is to incorporate it into the writing of leads and solos.

The clean vocals, while they frequently add some much needed diversity to the songs, are also just a bit iffy at times, occasionally distractingly so. I love the first and last tracks, and can’t wait to hear the band further develop this emotive side of their songwriting. But I have to admit, the pitch correction wiggle at the end of “am I going under?” in “Mountains Pt.2” catches my ear every time, and the vocal entrance around 2m into “Caught in the Azure Cradle” makes me cringe a tiny bit. With a bit more development, I think these cleans could propel Burial in the Sky to the top of the genre – the way they’re woven into the album’s songwriting is outstanding, and the emotional ending of the album is just fantastic.

The production – despite vocal gripes above – is rich and thick, with enough heft to hit hard but still dynamic enough to capture the band’s range and versatility. The guitars, in particular, are superbly crisp and clear, with an aggressive attack that doesn’t sound overprocessed. The bass tends to get a little lost in the mix, but seeing as it’s mostly following the guitars anyway, this isn’t a particularly weighty criticism, and it does indeed poke through where it should.

The succinct conclusion here, then, is that The Consumed Self is an ambitious, creative, dynamic, and atmospheric technical death metal album with plenty of progressive flair, but I think it would benefit from sparser vocals and stronger melodic ideas.

Recommended tracks: On Wings of Providence, Mechanisms of Loneliness, Mountains Pt.2 Empathy
Recommended for fans of: Early The Contortionist, Fallujah, Virvum, Alustrium
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Rising Nemesis Records – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Burial In The Sky is:
– Jorel Hart (vocals)
– Sam Stewart (drums, synths)
– Zach Strouse (bass, saxophone, vocals)
– James Tomedi (guitar, mandolin, accordion, synths, vocals)
– Brad Hettinger (guitar, vocals)