The Radical Glory of The Buried Heart
By: Brandon R. Chinn
Tags: Album Review, Music, Review, Articles, Album

The titular album release is the band’s first soaring epic

The Buried Heart, passion project of guitarist and songwriter Jack Wittich (with Joe Gillespie on bass and Beau Askew on drums, as well as a host of additional vocals) has released its first full-length album.

Sol Nocent, the first song on The Buried Heart’s newest album of the same name, begins with the all-to-familiar title chime of the Playstation 2. This might be strange to anyone listening to this band for the first time, but longtime fans of Jack Wittich’s music have come to expect the video game influence.

“The end approaches soon.” Reminiscent of turning on your PS2 to begin an epic RPG adventure among the likes of Final Fantasy X or Kingdom Hearts, The Buried Heart wants you to buckle your sword to your hip and trek along the path toward adventure.

The next song on the album, Absent God, is the first poppy bop track and not the last. While not immediately obvious to the casual listener, this entire album is a science fiction opus about a man dealing with his own mortality and existential woes as he faces the death of the sun. Wittich’s soaring vocals are paired with his guttural, amplified screams driving the track off the edge of ordered chaos.

Jack Wittich of The Buried Heart.

In Theatrics we are treated to the album’s intricate guitar rhythms, and the continuation of the woes magnified through the lens of the album’s protagonist. “How do I find a voice for myself when some things are better left unsaid?” and “One man cannot save the world through the strength of morals and virtues alone” accentuate the agony of the protagonist as he faces the end of the world.

The shakeup of Sol Clamanti is angrier and harder, the album coming into a segment of head-bangingly gnarly riffs and Beau Askew’s crushing drums. We are once again blessed by Wittich’s artistic domination over unique riffs in combination with steady, slow operatic sounds.

The band’s EP, Safe Harbor.

Glass Cascade, my personal favorite on the album, is a steady build toward an absolutely killer guitar riff. This song reminds me of Opia, one of the best tracks on the band’s previous EP. Wittich shows his capable songwriting skills that merge hypnotic, spine-tingling screams with gorgeous vocals and pounding percussion.

We are extended a momentary reprieve on the next track, The Feeling, where the soaring bombastic tracks give way to a mellow, funky beat. “Cuz I’ve grown to isolate myself each day. But lately, I’ve been taking in the fresh air, And I think it’s cuz I’ve been bathing in your rays. I’m too busy swimming in my ocean of self consciousness.” This track is also a moment of pause for the protagonist, and we are meant to live in this track for the few minutes it allows while we recoup the darkness.

On Trampled, the momentary reprieve is extended in a track that feels fresh and lively. Echoing vocals bring us to the precipice of this album’s denouement: “I’m trying to just rocket towards the sun, and explode when I’m young”

Mi Flor de Michoacan brings us back again with a mellow mixture of vocals and steady beats, begging the listener to drift off and vibe with what is happening both in the album and the life of the protagonist. If this album truly was a classic RPG, this song might be the save point before the last boss.

The next track, Malignant Glow, was released ahead of the album’s launch along with Absent God, and both tracks showcase the fun, dancing nature of The Buried Heart’s groove. This track feels both urgent and cataclysmic, urging towards the epoch of something we don’t yet understand.

Our end complete, the final track of the album, Sol Moriente, designs to take us full circle. Huge, crashing notes and a sick guitar riff urge the song into a climax where we are invited to nod our way through the end of all things. A haunting violin precedes operatic, thrumming vocals and a driving riff. We are meant to experience the end here, but that end contains the seed of a beginning.

“There is a place we exodus. The Sun swallows the Sky. Our souls re-seed on foreign land. We never truly die.”

This album is a dynamite example of persistent song writing and artistry, a measure of its influences and an incredible showcase for what is undoubtedly a bright future for Wittich and The Buried Heart.

You can listen to the full album on Spotify or support them directly via Bandcamp.