Burden is a name used by several different acts, including hardcore, punk, sludge metal, thrash metal, crossover and experimental projects. The name also appears on a rap/hip hop listing. The different acts are separate and come from different locations.

Hardcore and punk bands

One Burden is a straight edge hardcore band from Vancouver, Canada. It forms in spring 1997 with Jason Kolins on vocals, Sean Spear and Mike Orpen on guitars, and Mark Thomson on bass. The band sets out to play fast, heavy, outspoken hardcore with a personal and positive message. It builds a reputation in Vancouver while the local hardcore scene is still small, and becomes the first straight edge band from the city to make an impact outside its hometown.

During its seven-year run, this Burden tours Western Canada, undertakes three tours of the western United States and two European tours, and shares stages with bands including Trial, Strain, Bane, Ten Yard Fight, Fastbreak, Buried Alive, Reach The Sky, Built To Last, Commited, Brothers Keeper, One King Down, Carry On, Hoods, Shutdown, Throwdown, Eighteen Visions, Embrace Today, Himsa, Spirit 84, Poison The Well, Purification, Between Us, Unconquered, Caliban, Maximum Penalty, Countervail, Liar, Bleed Into One, Teamkiller, Black Friday '29, Downslide, Dead Scene Stars and Congress.

Its releases include the Chosen Path demo tape, Strength Of Conviction on CD and 7-inch, the split CD Vancouver Meets Kentucky with Automatic, the full-length If You Don't Stand For Something, You'll Fall For Anything, and the five-song 7-inch/CDEP With Every Step Forward. The full-length appears on Dead Serious Recordings in Europe and Spawner Records in Canada, and the final release also appears on Dead Serious Recordings. The band’s final European tour takes place in September 2003, and its final show is in Vancouver on 13 March 2004 with Go It Alone, Dead Sure, Dead In Hollywood and In Stride.

Afterward, members move into other projects. Adam and Dave Mitchell and Jason Kehoe play in Blue Monday with ex-Burden bassist Kyle Deville. Sean Spear plays guitar in Ice Cold with Mark Thomson, and also plays in Cobra Queen. Lucas Mcfadden later plays drums for Carry On and Go It Alone, while Aram Arslanian, who fills in on guitar for Burden, also plays in Champion and Betrayed.

Another Burden is an Oi!/hardcore/punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, led by Andy Fletcher of The Relivers.

A separate Burden is a Canadian hardcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. It forms in late 2008 as a three-piece DIY crossover band, combining hardcore punk, d-beat, old death metal and thrash. It uses very low-tuned instruments and plays at very high volume. This group self-releases EPs and demos, including Shadows Over New Brunswick, Speedcrush, Atomic Purple, The First Seven Months and The Hits.

Metal, drone and experimental projects

Burden is also a thrash metal band from Finland, formed in autumn 2008. Sami handles bass and vocals, Henkka plays rhythm guitar, Matias plays drums and Otto later joins on lead guitar. After writing original songs and recording them, the band releases its first demo, titled Burden, a week later. Tuomas later becomes the drummer, and the band issues the EP Thrash Invasion.

Another Burden is a sludge metal band from Germany, known for slow, heavy riffs and sharp, grungy vocals. It releases the two-track 7-inch Man Of No Account through Ván Records and Soulfood Music, tours Europe and works on its debut full-length album.

Burden also appears as an experimental drone/folk/metal artist with an ever-changing lineup centred on Cal Beaney and Simon Doling of Terminal Cheesecake. This project makes drone-based music that draws on EAI, folk, metal and noise.

Another experimental noise project from Bristol, UK, releases material under the name Burden. Its output includes work issued through Burden Imprint, with electronic, bass music, edits, electronica and noise elements.