Stay Dead might be a new name, but there is plenty of heavy-music pedigree behind Beneath The Weight Of Worlds. Founder and bassist Christopher Borrelli – whose previous work includes Fear The Victor, Split 50 and Chains Of Aggression – has assembled musicians from across the underground to realise his vision.
High Desert Queen vocalist Ryan Garney is joined by his bandmate Rusty Miller on lead guitar, while Blake Carrera of AIWASS adds guitar, synths and more cosmic textures. Drummer Kenny Shillingburg, of Hollow Light and Unto Thee, completes a line-up capable of making music that is both crushingly powerful and surprisingly cinematic.
“Empty Pages” introduces them with thunderous doom and absolute intent. The guitar sound is almost perfect, enormous without sacrificing clarity, while Garney immediately proves capable of moving from introspection to volcanic intensity.
The title track goes straight to the heart of mental illness. It confronts the subject without euphemism and calls for the erasure of the stigmas that still surround it. That emotional honesty is central to the record: its heaviness is never merely for show but feels like a way of processing something genuinely painful.
“White Noise” brings the first of several special guests, with Mastodon’s Troy Sanders appearing on a suitably offbeat, six-and-a-half-minute piece. By this point, it is clear that Stay Dead are not interested in straightforward structures. These songs stretch, wander and develop more like psychedelic journeys than conventional doom tracks.
Matt Pike of High On Fire and Sleep arrives on “Electric Mistress,” where the twin-guitar work is exceptional. There is something deliberately disconcerting about its atmosphere, but the sheer weight of the riffs gives it an irresistible pull.
The eight-minute “Chrysalis” is the record’s grandest undertaking. Featuring Eryka Fir of Coma Hole alongside AIWASS, it undulates, twists and turns like some vast progressive rock epic dragged through sludge. The vocals add another dimension, but it is the sense of movement that makes the track so compelling. Stay Dead understand that heaviness has more impact when it is surrounded by light, shade and space.
“What Happened To Rock N’ Roll” offers an 85-second discussion about rock and heavy metal. It acts almost as a reminder that the band knows precisely where this music came from before they launch into “Fever Dog,” originally performed by the fictional Stillwater in Almost Famous. In Stay Dead’s hands, it becomes a swirling maelstrom, ending the album with a joyous celebration of the music that shaped it.
Released through Ripple Music and lasting around 35 minutes, Beneath The Weight Of Worlds sits somewhere between an EP and an album. Yet it never feels incomplete. This is doom with purpose, imagination and emotional depth – an impressive opening statement from a band already carrying considerable weight.
Rating: 8/10
