Pallbearer release Foundations of Burden (2025 Redux) this Fall, a meticulous sonic reconstruction of their transformative 2014 album. The newly remixed and remastered version arrives digitally on Nov. 7, with physical editions (2xLP and CD) available on Dec. 5 (pre-orders: https://geni.us/PallbearerFOB2025Redux).
“During the writing and preparation for Foundations, everything was ephemeral and we were practically feral,” recalls bassist/vocalist Joseph D. Rowland. “We had no real practice space, we barely had a single working computer between the four of us. Our demos of the record consisted of something barely discernible from white noise. Nevertheless, we knew we were working towards building a set of songs we were deeply enthusiastic about.
Once in the thick of recording, the feeling went from dream to dreamlike very quickly, as we found ourselves in what felt like an endless churn of repetition. We slept at the studio on whatever soft surfaces we could find, waking each day to discover that some of the previous day’s work had been corrupted overnight. This resulted in some parts of the album being recorded many times over. The guitars in particular mutated into something Sisyphean.”
Rowland continues, “Since the time that we finally committed the original version of Foundations to print, we knew it would be a sonic space we would eventually revisit. Its form did not unfold according to the original version as the numerous file corruptions, delays, and exhausted studio budget compounded into a final feverish push to finish the mix. We were relieved to get those massive and difficult mixes turned into finished songs just in time, but not without a nagging thought; we had to sacrifice much of the nuance we had spent so much time crafting.”
More than a decade later, Pallbearer seized the opportunity to revisit the record from the ground up. Over the past year, the band meticulously reconstructed the album from the original sessions.
“In the time since then, we have played most of the songs from Foundations more times than we can count, and they remain some of our favorites,” Rowland continues. “The songs have grown with us. And while we hold a deep love and attachment to what we created in 2014, we also gained a fuller understanding of how we would want to re-present them if we had a chance. After years of discussion, listening and learning, we found ourselves in the position to fulfill that vision.”
Foundations of Burden (2025 Redux) features new mixes and mastering, plus new artwork featuring a painting by Benjamin Vierling. The six-song, 55-minute collection is produced by Pallbearer, mixed by Mario Quintero (Spotlights), and mastered by Adam Gonsalves.
Pre-orders (https://geni.us/PallbearerFOB2025Redux) are available now with the album available on multiple limited-edition vinyl variants: a band-exclusive metallic gold marble 2xLP (300 copies), a Profound Lore only iridescent blue marble 2xLP (500 copies), and standard black.
Pallbearer performs Foundations of Burden in full for the first time ever on Sept. 6 at Seattle’s Substation’s 10th Anniversary (tickets: https://bnds.us/z2ezd4).