Show Review: Pallbearer, REZN, & The Keening

Little Rock's doom powerhouse, PALLBEARER, is a band in high regard. With their latest opus, Mind Burns Alive, released earlier this year via Nuclear Blast Records, they delivered a return to form of sorts that will no doubt be found among many "Album Of The Year" lists. In promoting and celebrating that record, the Arkansas quartet embarked on a two-legged tour of North America. On June 15th, they descended on the metal-starved city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with openers REZN and THE KEENING in tow.

To the uninitiated, Lancaster may be considered to have a surprising and thriving downtown. On a Saturday evening, in the middle of Pride month, colorful crowds of LGBTQ+ flagbearers streamed through the sidewalks. The usual black t-shirt mass that acts as an unofficial "the metal show is here" banner outside of venue Tellus 360 practically glowed. There's a two-factor entry system to shows at this particular establishment that feels safer than most banking apps. By the time we made it to boss number two, it was evident THE KEENING had already taken the stage. The initial bummer was cooled by the realization that only minutes had gone by since they started.

The blast of cold air permeating Tellus's performance room nearly stopped my wife and me in our tracks as we entered. Had we accidentally stumbled into the walk-in fridge? Is this where they keep the kegs and pre-made mayo-based salads? No, there was a bar to our right and a band on the stage afar. This was the place. We grabbed drinks and found a spot towards the front of the venue where light poured in through an emergency exit door. I've seen our cats do this a million times; maybe we could absorb the sun's warmth.

THE KEENING

THE KEENING did not consider our hyperborean dilemma and bombarded us with their darkened brand of doom metal. Band leader Rebecca Vernon commanded the stage from her stage left position. With the five-member lineup and the other band's back line already set, there was little room to operate. However, bassist Billy Anderson, violist/vocalist Andrea Morgan, and guitarist Kelling Schilling rotated positions for a rather active stage presence when considering the soundtrack.

Unfortunately, that activity may have caused some out-of-tune issues. At one point, there was screeching feedback that everyone on stage and in the audience was desperate to stop—credit the band for doing all they could to figure it out on the fly. Despite the technical difficulties, it was nice to hear tracks from the excellent Little Bird (Relapse, 2023) live for the first time. Hopefully, another opportunity to see the band again will arise.

In an attempt to warm up between sets, we took a self-guided tour of the venue. The space is massive, with many floors to explore. If you like open-air dining and terrible acoustic cover songs, hit the roof. If you prefer a more subtle and refined experience, the mid-level Whiskey Bar is the place to land. If you want a good laugh, pass a husky horde of rooftop thrill-seekers at the halfway point on the narrow staircase.

REZN

Just 24 hours had passed since the release of Burden (Sargent House), the latest seven-track album from Chicago's REZN. It had only been an hour or two since I had spent a late afternoon blasting it during a backyard relaxation session. I was as ready for this set as possible, or so I thought.

Call it heavy psych, doom metal, stoner rock, or whatever the hell you want; REZN confidently demolished that room. Interestingly, multi-instrumentalist Spencer Ouellette, in his motocross attire, likely drew most of the attention. He's got an intangible presence and also a saxophone. The other members unloaded an avalanche of riffs and rhythms with guitarist Rob McWilliams's remarkably consistent and in-key vocals.

I do not doubt that REZN made fans of every person in that room who was previously unfamiliar with them. With this tour as a springboard and their impressive stream of releases over the last year or so, they feel like a band destined for the headlining slot next time they play these stages.

PALLBEARER

Just before 9 pm, with both openers' equipment cleared, PALLBEARER took the entire stage. The sparse and lofty platform (Tellus has the highest stage I have ever seen in a club its size) was quickly filled with the thickening presence of "Silver Wings," the standout track from 2020's Forgotten Place (Nuclear Blast). A now full and much warmer room of people stared on with slight nods of approval that barely qualified as headbanging.

Each member of the veteran ensemble seems to have established their own unique stage presence over the years. Bassist Joseph D. Rowland occupies the center position and acts as a visual anchor, sometimes whipping his long hair into a Cousin It visage. To his right, guitarist Devin Holt intensely curls his body around his instrument. It's Gollum-like, but let's not continue with the movie references. Primary vocalist and guitarist Brett Campbell has a stoic and still almost clerical stance as he croons. Drummer Mark Lierly naturally sits in the back, almost too far on this night. As I strained to watch him pound away, surrounded by expensive guitar cabinets, it finally occurred to me what an essential and powerful part of the band he is.

It's no surprise that the setlist was mostly comprised of songs from Mind Burns Alive, but I'll admit when they began playing "The Ghost I Used To Be," I thought, "This is my shit." The ten-year-old track takes me back to a rather bleak time in my life where, in hindsight, I was most lonely and spent hours listening to their records while feeling sorry for myself. While that thought ran through my mind, I realized that those days were far behind me as I stood in that room with my wife by my side. A lot can change in a decade, but PALLBEARER has sustained my admiration.

As if to bring my mind back to the present day, "Endless Place," the current standout ten-minute single, came next. The song has the band's classic crawl and vibe with a coup de grâce saxophone feature performed by REZN's Ouellette (Norman Williamson of Amasa Hines appears on the recorded version). The crowd-pleasing moment makes me wonder if there are any doom/ska bands. Should there be?

Closing the set, the band pulled the opening track from their monumental debut LP, Sorrow and Extinction. The familiar riffs and lyrics of "Foreigner" overflowed off the eye-level stage and enraptured the audience. For a band with such a saturnine sound and aesthetic, they always leave me in awe and appreciative of their musical gifts. This night was no different.

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