Peaceville, 2009
7/10
Barren Earth should attract immediate interest due to the fact that their lineup sports current and former members of European underground luminaries such as Amorphis, Kreator, Swallow The Sun, and Moonsorrow. The band has no North American tour plans that I know of, but I thought I’d review their debut EP since many of the members’ main bands will be coming through St. Paul this year. The biography of Barren Earth describes their sound as progressive death metal, and this isn’t too far off the mark although immediate comparisons will be drawn to Amorphis and Swallow The Sun. The material here is slow, depressive death metal, and an edited version of “Our Twilight” opens the proceedings with heavy, poundings rhythms that lead into a cleanly sung chorus. “Jewel” is an outtake from 2009 recording sessions, and features liberal use of piano and organ to give this song its prog sensibilities. The final two tracks, “Flame Of Serenity” and “Floodred” were recorded in a 2008 session and have a sound that’s a bit denser, but sound a little heavier than the first two songs. There’s a lot of promise shown here, and Barren Earth would likely appeal to fans of early Amorphis and other slow, progressive-sounding death metals bands. The debut full-length album will be released in April in the United States.
Kreator will be appearing at Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, March 14. Support will come from Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, and Lazarus A.D.
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