It’s on rare occasions that we’re given names that deliver excellence on a scale that leaves quite an impression on many who come across it. It’s even rarer, however, to find yourself before an act that manages to do it over and over again from one performance to the next with even the best amongst those hallowed ranks not always showing a clear path to ascension. Oftentimes, such a rise can be understandably marred by an incident here and there that only comes from the simple aspect of being human. Even so, when it comes to names like Rezn, failure has never seemed to be an option. That proves to be the case yet again with the band’s third work in just fifteen months.
At this point, Rezn should be a name that everybody knows intimately well throughout all that the scene has had to offer since the act came around in 2017. It’s in that time that Rezn’s shoegaze approach to doom metal with more than enough psychedelic and rock elements to keep them separated from much of what the other scene seems hesitant to tap into with each of the band’s works feeling like different avenues in a complicated map that is being fleshed out the longer Rezn remains stalwart in their craft. A reflection of what was delivered in last year’s “Solace”, “Burden” only furthers that trend. A substantially darker and evocatively heavy creation than what I think many of us might expect from the likes of Rezn, this is an album that doesn’t skimp on their spectacular wow-factor for so much an a millisecond. Laden with immense melodies driven by immensity and grandeur that lend themselves perfectly to the varying levels of heaviness that Rezn has always held undeniable mastery over with “Burden” far from the exception. A titanic whirlpool that brings you ever-further into the chasm within which Rezn calls home for this particular performance, light and hope are but distant glimmers from on high throughout the album as Rezn seems to succumb to the weight and toils that come with the overall human experience. It’s an unexpected turn given how the psychedelic elements to Rezn’s sound always seem to let them rise the listener up to a different plane altogether, yet it’s here that Rezn seeks a distinctly different tone to allow the record not just to stand out from its predecessors, but further prove that Rezn is as multi-faceted as they come in a scene that seems to only know how to expand in glory.
Time seems to only be an enhancer for certain acts with Rezn absolutely qualifying to be named amongst such blessed. Their rise has been the very definition of meteoric as their talent and prowess has been proven many time over with each new effort showing a new side to the band’s celebrated genius with “Burden” all but cementing that for any of those somehow left in doubt. Where adversity and doubt seep through the cracks, Rezn comes forth to offer a soundtrack to it all that simply cannot be found anywhere else.
LISTEN to “Burden” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Rezn on Facebook here.
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