Written by: The Administrator
I know you're here for the kickass music, dear reader, but allow me this brief preamble. As a so-called "big feeler," I tend to experience emotions in a fairly extreme sense. There exists insufficient equilibrium 'round these parts: happiness trends towards ecstasy, sadness is crushingly morose. Emotions are a lot to contend with, and, as such, I spend a lot of time with art that grapples with emotional extremity. I seek out music that explicitly explores and captures the essence of a particular feeling. I am also drawn, consistently and magnetically, to the musical output of one Alicia Cordisco, riff-queen extraordinaire. I've been a huge fan of her work since bearing witness to Judicator's classic run, and have followed her musical output with a certain zeal ever since, be it the bombast and adventure of Project: Roenwolfe and Justicar, the righteous death/thrash fury of Transgressive, or the epic funereal strains of Wraithstorm. No metal genre has yet seemed beyond her reach, as evidenced by this new excursion into the dark-lit mire of black metal. The Burden of I melds an old-school blackened bite with somber atmosphere and a whole lot of melodic inclination. It is an album that displays its emotional current openly: in the description, Alicia writes that The Burden of I contends with her "struggles with isolation, identity, trauma driven despair, and ultimately a reason and purpose to keep going." In other words, when it comes to my particular interests in music, The Burden of I promised to represent the perfect storm. The project's potential alone was enough; I was hooked before hitting play, and wasn't worried in the slightest about the execution. After all, if I know one thing about metal music, it is this: Alicia Cordisco executes.
So. The Burden of I is an incredible album, written in gloomy cloudbanks and crepuscular rays. It is robust and mournful and vibrant and sincere. It is dark and unnavigable and lush and heart-achingly real. It is vulnerable and honest, with heavy emotions addressed in a forthright and sincere manner, never obfuscated. It feels deeply rooted within Alicia's existing catalog, while simultaneously tendriling outward. Perhaps most admirably, it maintains a constant conversation between its intrinsically depressive lyrical content and its frequently bright instrumentation. The vocals are somber, while the guitar is expressive and alive. There's a yearning quality to the melodic inclusions, and herein lurks the album's lodestone. Despite each track's ebb and flow, said yearning remains, seemingly acting as both a protagonist and antagonist in the album's greater narrative.
The album does start on a fairly nihilistic front--"No Tomorrow That Matters" is a lengthy and somber reflection on stagnancy and inevitability. This feeling, notably, is given space to breathe. The sense of isolation feels expansive and impactful because the listener lingers in it. The despair of loneliness is magnified by its own all-encompassing nature, and when vocalist Vanessa Funke repeatedly roars "I can't do this, I can't do this on my own," the concentrated weight of that emotion is truly crushing. It's a thesis statement. And yet, a notable component of the album's focus is the prevailing sense that the darkness is not all-encompassing. While contending with the in-betweenness of existence, "After My Death" proposes that "in the burning/we may find beauty." And, then, as the title track closes: "the love we find in each other/Must not ever lose to night." Much like Samuel Nelson's gorgeous cover artwork, cracks of light in the gloom become focal points. Examples are endless, but take a listen to the immensely stirring lead that rears its sorrowful head on "The Burden of I," undulating with graceful fluidity between hope and sadness. And how exactly does a solo sound both tearjerkingly mournful and brightly triumphant at the same damn time? All I know is that the performance on "Better Off Forgotten" absolutely delivers. If the despondent murk and pensive sweetness of melancholy has a soundtrack, this is it. It's difficult to highlight specific moments when everything qualifies for the highlight reel. That said, the aforementioned "I can't do this" chapter of "No Tomorrow That Matters" is so consequential to the song as a whole that I can't help but mention it again. I also particularly enjoy the climax of "Better Off Forgotten"--Alicia is a master of building tension, and the cathartic release here is palpable. The vocals are utterly massive, with the delivery simultaneously swallowed by and cutting through the swell. This song feels like a heaving anxious heart, but it ends on a calming acoustic exhale. Softer moments like this offer an essential moment to breathe, and the eye of the storm is particularly effective when paired with Vanessa's ethereally whispered vocals. Take the midsection of "After My Death," which maintains a reflective air whilst being sandwiched between high-intensity churn. Speaking of this track, I love the momentum of the back half. That mighty riff really coalesces around the 7 minute mark, and just when it seems like everything has hit a natural peak, another solo drops with the audacity of a sunbeam slicing through dark clouds. Collaboration is a key to this The Burden of I's success. Bringing in Vanessa Funke to voice this project was a smart move--her dynamic harsh delivery is always arresting, and her ability to flow between levels of intensity reinforces the album's sense of movement. She evokes the massive power of sorrow with a crushing intensity, and often acts as the perfect foil to the guitar's soaring inclinations. It can't be easy to personify feelings this big, yet Vanessa nails an overwhelming emotional enormity. And the production, courtesy of Brett Windnagle, also serves the album extremely well. The brightest and most grandiose moments are allowed to shine without feeling too sleek or polished, and the general atmosphere reinforces a sense of gloom, keeping everything firmly grounded. The drum programming, also Brett's work, is very good. There's a real urgency at play that translates quite well. Despite obvious genre distinctions, The Burden of I demonstrates a clear cohesion with the broader Alicia Cordisco corpus. Indeed, a wide variety of riffs and flourishes scattered across the album feel like they couldn't possibly have come from anyone else. In the past few months of listening, I've imagined a hypothetical situation in which I somehow stumble upon The Burden of I without the benefit of context. Would I be able to recognize the artist without prior info? I'm almost certain: yes. Alicia has such a recognizable approach to vibrant riffcraft, and the secret sauce is her ability to capture an actualized sense of profound enjoyment. We love heavy metal and its many derivates for a variety of reasons. I argue that the primary draw is the undeniable fact that, above all else, listening to a sick-ass riff feels good as hell. Alicia has consistently embraced this sense of vicarious feel-good. Regardless of the genre, regardless of the project, listening to her music elicits that feeling. Even, notably, when the music itself is specifically designed to highlight emotions along the more prototypically negative end of the spectrum. On The Burden of I, Alicia maximizes a sense of enjoyment without ever minimizing the impact and clarity of her hurt. That's a delicate and impressive balance, and the result is nothing short of masterful. Anyways, this was a whole lot of words to say what I've already said: The Burden of I is incredible. I'm so happy to have spent so much time living with it--and by "happy," I most certainly mean that in a big-feeling way. I'll be the first to admit that my (comparatively) limited consumption of black metal in 2025 doesn't make me the best authority on what constitutes the so-called best black metal of the year. With that caveat out of the way: this is one of the best black metal albums of the year. I highly recommend giving it the time it deserves. Alicia Cordisco - The Burden of I was released Sept. 5th, 2025. Vinyl available here. CS via Fiadh Productions are sold out. CD to follow. Find it on bandcamp here!
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