BARREN EARTH

Other than a re-recording of "Our Twilight" from the 2009 EP, the remaining 8 tracks on "Curse of the Red River" are new compositions featuring Barren Earth´s take on progresssive doom/death. Imagine what it would sound like if mid-90s Amorphis and early- to mid-00s Opeth met and jammed (add to that a strong gothic metal-era Tiamat influence on the closing track "Deserted Morrows"). It´s heavy and doomy death metal alright, but it´s quite sophisticated and features both growling vocals and clean vocals. The omnipresent use of vintage keyboards like organ, mini-moog, and mellotron provide the material with a distinct touch of 70s progressive rock, but still within the context of the doom/death metal basis of the music. It´s one of the great assets of "Curse of the Red River", that Barren Earth are able to make the different elements of their music sound completely natural together. It´s overall a very melodic album, and the band excel in producing melancholic leads and harmonies. There´s also an occasional ethnic Scandinavian folk touch to some of the parts. It´s a flavor more than a dominant element though.

"Curse of the Red River" is a well produced album, featuring a heavy, detailed, and organic sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. It´s an album featuring high level musical performances, intriguing songwriting, and an audible enthusiasm for the project from all involved. "Our Twilight" (2009) was a great teaser, but the promise made on the EP is fulfilled on "Curse of the Red River". A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

The EP features 4 tracks and a total playing time of 22:26 minutes. Stylistically this sounds very much like mid-90s Amorphis, which of course makes sense, since two of the members of that band from that time are part of the lineup on "Our Twilight". This is doom/death metal with 70s progressive rock leanings and strong, epic, and melancholic melodies. There is a touch of Scandinavian folk too, and again it´s hard not to think of mid-90s Amorphis. The vocals are predominantly death metal growls, but there are also several clean sung parts on the EP. Barren Earth are obviously both seasoned and skilled musicians, and "Our Twilight" reeks professionalism that you won´t find on many debut releases. Although the band don´t often stray from their musical path, the addition of Yli-Sirniö to the lineup, does result in a couple of more unconventional musical ideas (it would be strange if a member of Waltari didn´t act out just a little bit), but they are incorporated successfully into the main musical style of the album.

"Our Twilight" is a heavy and atmospheric release, and that´s one of the greatest strengths of the EP. Barren Earth balance brutal heavy doom/death metal parts with their 70s progressive rock influences very well and creates a big epic soundscape in the process. All tracks are enjoyable and memorable compositions, but I have to mention EP closer "Floodred" for it´s death metal brutality and epic clean sung parts, and "Jewel" for it´s progressive middle section. The sound production is massive, layered, and ensures the right environment for the material to shine, and upon conclusion "Our Twilight" is a quality first release by Barren Earth. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

In particular, when it comes to its death metal influences this is very much on the more accessible side of the melodic death metal camp, to the point where there are segments of the album where Mikko Kotamäki's growls are more or less the only discernable death metal component of the mixture.

Where Barren Earth take things in a different direction is the vintage prog influences in their performances, especially in the keyboards, which are a bit more nostalgic and steeped in the 1970s style than Amorphis' more modern- sounding progressive moments. This may be where comparisons to Opeth hail from; either way, it makes the album an interesting listen, though I do question just how much fruit is going to grow in this Barren Earth.

The fact that the band are made up of very seasoned musicians is audible, as everything is delivered with conviction and professionalism. In addition to the "core" death/doom metal sound on the album, there are also a couple of progressive tendencies featured in the music. It´s especially audible in the longer tracks like album opener "Passing of the Crimson Shadows" and "As it is Written". The addition of ethnic folk elements makes me think of Amorphis more than one time during the playing time. A reference which is further enhanced by the clean/growling vocal delivery and the use of 70s influenced organs/keyboards. You can add an Opeth influence to the equation, but that´s only when Barren Earth are most progressive. The tracks are made up of epic heavy riffing and lead themes (both from the guitars and the keyboards) and more atmospheric sections. There is good variation on the album and that provides "The Devil's Resolve" with a longivity factor that not all releases possess.

"The Devil's Resolve" is a heavy and quite intriguing album and the fact that it´s well produced (in the more polished end of the style) and very well performed, are not exactly negatives either. To fans of the style this should be a real treat (just think early- to mid 90s Amorphis meets late 90s/early 00s Opeth and you´re halfway there). A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

44th place album of the year 2012

Barren Earth are a 'supergroup' of sorts. Created out of current and former members of two of my favourite bands in the melodeath scene, Amorphis and Swallow the Sun, and a few other bands I will have to check out, Moonsorrow, Rytmihäiriö and Kreator. The band focuses on the progressive side of melodeath, as opposed to the doom and thrash of the bands it is formed from. "The Devil's Resolve" is the band's second full-length, continuing their style of merging melodic death metal and 70's progressive rock, along with other genres such as folk.

Like any band who uses both clean and growled vocals, many will make comparisons to Swedish cousins Opeth, and there are plenty to be found on this album. Barren Earth utilize the same acoustic sections Opeth have become known for, specifically in opener "Passing of the Crimson Shadows" and "Vintage Warlords". There are also hints of the heavily slide-based riffage of Opeth, specifically during "Oriental Pyre", where we hear the dual acoustic and distorted guitars of early Opeth works.

"Oriental Pyre" also draws elements from Mikko Kotamäki's other band Swallow the Sun, with the spoken-word vocals STS use to create their doomy atmosphere. "The Dead Exiles" also contains a very doom laden first few minutes, which could have fit perfectly on any Swallow the Sun album.

Despite being a death metal band, Barren Earth utilize clean vocal melodies excellently, in a similar manner to Amorphis. "Passing of the Crimson Shadows", "The Rains Begin" and "Where All Stories End" all have very strong chorus hooks.

The folk and progressive elements are alive in "The Rains Begin" and "As It Is Written", my two favourite songs on the album. "As It Is Written" begins with a hint of bagpipes, but unfortunately they do not play a huge role in the rest of the song, as I have not heard many good uses of bagpipes in metal outside of laughable folk metal bands. The growled vocals over a Hammond organ in "The Rains Begin" is quite surreal, but is actually one of the highlights of the album, merging a very retro and 70's sounding instrument with a modern style of music. Both of these songs have folk-influenced riffs, which carry on to very good choruses, and "As It Is Written" has my personal favourite part of the album, the extended piano bridge.

The only real downfall of this album is the growling. I have never been a fan of growling, but over the years I have come to tolerate and even enjoy it, but Mikko Kotamäki's throaty rumble hear renders lyrics indistinguishable, and often overpowers the very well written guitar parts. Of course, there are always exceptions, and I think that the chorus of "The Rains Begin" contains the best use of the death growls, but again they would be better if the lyrics were more distinguished and he didn't sound like he had a cold during recording.

Overall a solid effort, although the quality does begin to wane in the second half. If the band can continue to come up with great riffs as the ones in "The Rains Begin" and "As It Is Written" and great choruses as in "Passing of the Crimson Shadows" and "Where All Stories End", and clean up the growled vocals, then we have a very unique band with a hopeful future.

Originally posted at my facebook page/blog http://www.facebook.com/neoprogisbestprog

Our Twilight is the group's debut EP, released in 2009 by Peaceville Records, and it succesfully shows at least part of the essence of the band on its four tracks. Knowing the members' previous bands it's no suprise that the big picture is very much epic death metal, complete with some clean vocals, very prominent piano and even some good old fashioned keyboard soli. The heaviness is heavy, the melodies are bold, the vocals are cold and the couple of guitar soli thrown in are pretty damn great.

Compared to the full lenght released in early 2010 these songs are much more straightforward metal with very few actually light sections. This is a very good introductory release giving a taste of what's to come, but on the actual album they would expand their dynamic range to a great effect.

(Originally written for MetalMusicArchives)

One does only need to listen to the opening title track with its shifts from deathy verses to cleaner soaring choruses to an intricate-yet-super heavy instrumental section to an acoustic passage complete with a gorgeous flute solo to see that this is not a one trick band. While some comparisons can be drawn at times to for example Opeth or Type O Negative, they are only spices thrown in their very original cooking. The cherry on top of this cake of great musicians is Kasper Mårtenson whose piano gets a lot of space even in the heavier sections, not to mention the various softer parts of pure beauty, and who brings a lot of vintage prog spirit with his flying keyboard solos, naturally in addition to choosing just the right tones to enhance the mood of each section.

It could be said that both of the Mårtenson composed pieces, Forlorn Waves and the Ritual of Dawn are album highlights, but that brings out the problem of how many tracks can one name as highlights. The brightest of them all might be the only track composed by guitarist Janne Perttilä, Flicker, which has some of the most brutal and most beautiful parts of the album in perfect harmony, and even some very balalaika sounding guitar work during the instrumental section. The most prolific composer of the group is the ex-Amorphis bassist Olli- Pekka Laine, who brings in four tracks, from which especially the aforementioned opening title track, co-composed by Kreator guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and the fast pased, quite rocking The Leer deserve an affectionate special mention.

The best new metal album I've heard in a long while, absolutely recommendable for friends of progressive death metal. The final half star is only a matter of standing the test of time.

****½

(Originally written for MetalMusicArchives)