Review : BARREN EARTH – “Curse Of The Red River”

Barren Earth – Curse Of The Red River
released April 6, 2010 on Peaceville Records

Rating: 4/5

Barren Earth is an impressive new Finnish sextet supergroup that first intrigued the world with their 2009 debut EP Our Twilight. The band took a couple of years to fully form, and have now solidified into a progressive death metal juggernaut.

The first obvious contributor is Swallow The Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamaki. His enveloping growls and smooth tenor are among the best, and is one reason why the band draws comparisons to Opeth. And you have to hand it to the guy for cleverly(?) involving himself with two projects that have shared names with “an inexplicable cultural phenomenon” (how RiffTrax refers to the Twilight franchise).

The band is given room to spread their wings on the opening title track. Here, Barren Earth pulls out all the stops: moody intro, strong harmonies, and a two-minute jam ending accompanied with flute! Now the tune that follows is an extended version of the EP’s title track, and is easily the band’s most accessible song, with an unforgettable refrain.

Kasper Mårtenson is a gem. His previous notoriety amongst Metal audiences primarily extended to early 90s Amorphis. Mårtenson adds a retro flavor with his keyboards that harks back even further to original proggers like Emerson, Lake and Palmer. In grand fashion, he synthesizes an entire horn section on “Flicker” (which also boasts some nice Spanish guitar five minutes in). But he also runs the gamut from generating atmosphere to sprinkling in regular piano sounds. “Forlorn Waves” receives this treatment well, as it dances within folky rhythms and metallic crunch, constantly maintaining equilibrium.

There is a lot to love on Curse Of The Red River. Most of it imprints on first listen, but as you would imagine, deliberate subtle nuances creep into the ears of those that return to Barren Earth. Do yourself a favor and experience with headphones; you won’t want to miss a thing.

FCC OK
Try 1, 2, 3, 4, 7

01. The Curse Of The Red River
02. Our Twilight
03. Forlorn Waves
04. Flicker
05. The Leer
06. The Ritual Of Dawn
07. Ere All Perish
08. Cold Earth Chamber
09. Deserted Morrows

http://www.barrenearth.com

http://www.myspace.com/officialbarrenearth

http://www.peaceville.com