BURIAL IN THE SKY The Consumed Self

Philadelphia based progressive death metal act Burial In The Sky’s first two full length albums were both promising releases but still not quite there. Their third effort though is in a totally different league, at least to my ears. The production is significantly sharper and more professional, the band seems to have gained a lot more confidence and the song material has been brought to the next level as well. The Consumed Self has everything you would expect from a progressive death metal album; intricate arrangements, virtuous playing, full speed ahead riffing and drumming followed by atmospheric passages and beautiful lead parts. They also introduce the use of a few more untraditional instruments for this genre, like the saxophone for instance that can be heard quite frequently on lead and harmony parts throughout the album. But if you listen carefully you might also hear elements of mandolin and accordion as well as more traditional keyboard parts. The vocals are of course of the more extreme type as you might expect, spanning over a wide range. Personally I would have preferred singer Jorel Hart to stay even more in the lower part of his register but that is of course a matter of taste. Often when you analyze an album as whole you’ll find the best songs in the first half while the “fillers” are often placed at the end, but with The Consumed Self the second part of the album is even better than the first (….and let me just add that there are no “fillers” on this particular album). I love this album from start to end, but still I have to mention the majestic Mountains pt. 1 and pt. 2 with its wonderful mix of technical death metal and beautiful Pink Floydish passages as well as the 12 minutes long Anatomy Of Us that closes this epic album. Highly recommended.

Discography;

The Consumed Self (2021)

Creatio Et Hominus (2018)

Persistence Of Thought (2016)