It’s been a logical progression from the bong-laden wonderment of REZN’s 2017 debut to the band’s newest effort Burden (Sargent House), which finds Chicago’s sonic sorcerers expanding their minds and sound, with their newest offering feeling darker than previous offerings, though in a more hazy moonlit laced with a dopamine deficit-induced depression fashion, as the mood to the underlying themes.
These guys sound like they get stoned and ponder how the ghosts that live in the woods behind their house are feeling rather than delve into conspiracy theories. This also translates to the introspective nature of the lyrics.
The opening track is driven by a dark groove that is not metal but aggressive enough to get the point across. If your definition of doom includes hypnotic melancholy with the hypnotic power of shoe-gaze, then these guys are in the realm of doom. The bass line that leads you into “Instinct” trudges in alignment with doom bands. The vocals pierce the gloom, as Rob McWilliams continues to strengthen his voice, taking a more prominent role with each album.
The guitar melody of “Bleak Patterns” is catchy and different for the band, and glides out as almost an extension of the previous song. A minute and a half into the song the bass stomps into a beefier tone. The songs soar in from a high-pressure cloud front, that is ominous from certain angles but never condenses into a storm. In some ways, this album is not unlike the new Pallbearer. The two bands hold more common ground now, occupying a moody space at the intersection of shoegaze and doom.
“Collapse” the front runner for being the album’s best song, is empowered by an exotic guitar melody that floats through the song as a counterpoint to the vocals, before the album begins to darken, progressing into the dusk. Then the sun finally sets with “Soft Prey”. The vocals are delivered with more assurance rather than simply drifting, yet retain the surreal qualities that are the band’s signature. The first sounds to truly be called psychedelic, bubble to life midway into this song. The saxophone lends further merit to this as it creates an almost Pink Floyd-like dynamic.
“Chasm” closes the album with the first metallic chugs, a glance back to the days when they were more firmly rooted in doom. The song itself is what the kids today call a banger for sure.
The band’s fans will not only understand the direction this album has taken them but should also joyfully welcome the music here. When surveying the landscape of this genre of music, it’s hard to imagine that a band is going to come along in 2024 and do this sort of thing better. REZN has continued to perfect its craft as journeymen into weird and wonderful atmospheric shadows of sound.
Not intended to earn radio play or to catapult them into the hearts of the TikTok generation, these guys have stayed true to themselves without becoming stagnant and managed to write damn fine songs in the process.
Buy the album here:
https://found.ee/rezn-burden
9 / 10
WIL CIFER