BARREN EARTH – “THE DEVIL’S RESOLVE”
PEACEVILLE (2012)
Side projects have been an outlet for Rock musicians since the late 60s – an understandable move for those who feel their band does not always provide all the necessary space for complete artistic expression.
The term ‘super group’, however, has never been so widely used before by the music industry to the extent that it has been these last five years and I suspect that the main reason is for labels to attract interest in their releases, sales of which have been significantly reduced through the ever so popular activity of illegal downloading.
One group of musicians that I can think of whose ‘musical union’ can justify the use of the above-mentioned term is the Finnish sextet – a Progressive Doom/Death outfit which really impressed with its debut release “Curse Of The Red River” back in 2010 and whose latest opus “The Devil’s Resolve” is bound to generate even more interest from fans and music journalists alike!
So what is it that makes the music of Barren Earth so damn special, one might ask? Well, we all know very well by now that the Finns are, generally speaking, a very musical nation that thrives on creating powerful emotional melodies.
If you take under consideration the fact that Barren Earth feature in their ranks two members of the mighty Amorphis, receive guitar services from none other than Kreator’s axeman Sami Yli-Sirniö and have Marko Tarvonen (Moonsorrow) on vocals then no-one should be surprised by the fact that the eight compositions on offer are an explosive mix of epic melodies, staccato head banging riffs and vocals, ranging from clear narrations to other-worldly growls.
What makes “The Devil’s Resolve” a better album than its impressive predecessor is the fact that all those Prog elements that were used at the time as an additional element in the band’s music have now acquired a pretty dominant role and in doing so have elevated the technical appeal of these eight compositions to unimaginable heights!
The opening composition of the album, “Passing Of The Crimson Shadows”, is a great example of the sort of variety and technical skill that this album is capable of offering. Its combination of brutal vocals and atmospheric keyboards will move old-school Opeth fans and its melodic refrain will explain how influential the music of Amorphis has been on this band.
Just as you think you have heard the best melody on the album, the emotional theme of “The Rains Begin” comes and stir the waters and it may be that the follow-up “Vintage Warlords” initially comes across as a straight forward track, but the acoustic guitar and clean vocal break half way through reveal the band’s true Prog pedigree.
“As It Is Written” is marginally my favourite song of the album as it combines a number of beautiful melodies and a sing-along refrain to simply die for, while the rhythmical riffs of “The Dead Exiles” are a prompt to bang your head! “Oriental Pyre” further prompts a certain group people to question Opeth’s decision to abandon their brutal vocals, “White Fields” portrays Marko Tarvonen as a truly talented skinsman and “Where All Stories End” is a melancholic Doom piece with a varied structure, ending this album on a high note!
There are many decent composers out there who are able to create a handful of impressive compositions throughout their career but I cannot think of many bands that are capable of presenting us with a whole album of such skill, musical craftsmanship and emotional value as those that can be found on “The Devil’s Resolve”.
Barren Earth are currently promoted as a side project but if their second album is only the beginning of something even greater, then it will not be long before they might have to re-consider their artistic priorities. Even though these are still early days, this album is a strong contender for the ‘album of the year’ as far as I am concerned and so top marks are well deserved! Well done, guys!
John Stefanis
Rating: ***** (5.0/5.0)
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In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
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