It’s been three years since Barren Earth last released an album (2015’s ‘On Lonely Towers’), presumably allowing time for the band to dispense with the duties of their day jobs. Amongst others, Barren Earth features Sami Yli-Sirnio (Kreator / Waltari), Olli-Pekka Laine (Amorphis), Marko Tarvonen (Moonsorrow), and Jon Aldara (Hamferd). A rare example of a supergroup that is considerably greater than the sum of its parts, Barren Earth released two excellent albums via Peaceville Records (‘The Curse of the Red River’ and ‘The Devil’s Resolve’) before switching to Century Media for their third effort, ‘the living fortress’. The band initially drew strong comparisons to Opeth on their auspicious debut, but soon developed a more unique and atmospheric sound over their subsequent releases and ‘A complex of cages’ sees Barren Earth continue to explore the vast realm of progressive rock whilst sacrificing none of the more visceral metal elements that have helped make the band such an exciting prospect.
‘A complex of cages’ gets off to one hell of a start. With Antti Myllynen’s keyboards taking the lead on ‘the living fortress’, Barren Earth in 2018 are a tighter, proggier outfit, their sound now edging towards the lean Dream Theater that recorded ‘A train of thought’. Jon Aldara’s vocals remain impressively unconventional, his deathly roar frequently giving way to a Morrisey-meets-Katatonia clean tone that perfectly suits the more pastoral elements of the song, but it is the way the band deftly navigate the prog-death hinterlands that really makes the track stand out. Despite having the challenging task of drawing together elements recorded across three separate studios, V. Santura has done a remarkable job of imbuing the band with a clean, organic sound characterised by crisp percussion, airy keyboards and chunky riffing. At some six minutes, ‘the living fortress’ is an ambitious and dynamic piece of music that plays to the band’s many strengths and sees the band hit the ground running. Somewhat shorter and considerably heavier, ‘The Ruby’ sees the band hinting at the ferocious prog-infused death metal that Opeth dealt in so effectively on ‘Watershed’, and the juxtaposition between clean and heavy vocals works spectacularly well on the chorus. Blisteringly powerful, ‘the ruby’ is an early album highlight thanks, primarily, to the sheer ferocity of the band’s performance and it’s a track that is bound to impress live. Wasting no time, the band unleash a complex barrage of riffs on ‘Further Down’, a gruelling, death metal odyssey rendered cinematic by Antti’s perfectly-deployed keyboard elements and Jon’s suitably diverse vocals. A track built around one of those riffs (you know, the sort of riff that makes you want to headbang like Beavis whenever Metallica come on the stereo), ‘further down’ still finds plenty of opportunity to surprise, although another killer riff is never far away. One of the album’s lengthier songs, ‘Zeal’ has a theatrical, operatic feel to it reminiscent of Ayreon, Antti’s rippling piano work building a mesmerising backdrop for Jon’s carefully harmonised vocals. Slowly introducing ever darker synth patches, the track builds until the band finally emerge to unleash a monstrous riff that feels entirely earned. This is progressive rock as it was meant to be – ambitious and arty – none of which detracts form the raw physicality of the band’s performance, and there’s depth to the band’s performance that is impossible to ignore.
A track that draws upon the stately vibe of folk metal, ‘Scatterprey’ both lyrically and musically speaks to the vast, open vistas depicted by Adam Burke’s evocative cover art. Whilst there are, indeed, plenty of death metal elements woven into the fabric of the track, the band are not afraid to shift focus altogether when the mood takes them, and ‘scatterprey’ proves to be a diverse and dynamic track that perfectly opens the second half of the album. The lengthy ‘Solitude Pith’ sees the band use the time wisely to explore the more filmic elements of their sound, Antti’s subtle synths offering up a rhythmic backdrop whilst the band explore a similar sound to that which Pink Floyd most notably pioneered on ‘Meddle’. In a perfectly executed display of tension and release, the band allow the time to flow organically, with Olli-Pekka’s Waters-esque bass adding a touch of menace underneath the beauty. As increasingly diverse elements are drawn into the arrangement, so the ghost of Genesis Past (and Steve Hackett current) is summoned with grand effect. When the death metal elements finally do return, they are still held carefully in check, lest they ride too roughshod over the remarkable atmosphere so carefully built and tended. Retaining the air of mystery and imagination that hangs over the album as a whole and the second half in particular, ‘Dysphoria’ sees some of the record’s most exquisite guitar work as harmonised leads slip over gently rippling acoustic guitar and thunderous, always-inventive percussion. It provides the perfect intro to a track that, with time, reawakens the ravening death metal beast that sits at the heart of the band, with crushing riffs and scabrous vocals all thrown into the mix, only to spin off, once more, in an unexpected direction. The stabbing riffs of ‘Spire’ keep things heavy and add a touch of deathly groove for good measure. This is Barren Earth at their heaviest and most accessible, and despite slipping mid-song into a more Candlemass doom sound, ‘spire’, there’s a brutality here as the band indulge in a rather more metallic form of release. The final track on the album is the eerie ‘Withdrawal’, a track that sees the album out on a quiet note that recalls mid-period Anathema (think ‘Alternative 4’) crossed with latter-day Katatonia. It’s a beautiful end to an album that has such emotion and depth that it will live with you for some time after listening.
Barren Earth are one of those bands that just seem to get better with each release. Where the band’s earliest releases saw them partially shadowed by the all-encompassing might of Opeth, the band have truly stepped out of the shade to develop their own unique and satisfyingly diverse sound. Reference points abound, but it’s how the band weaves each influence into their own unique tapestry that makes them special and the result is an album that is haunting and brutal in equal measure. A welcome return, ‘a complex of cages’ sees Barren Earth at the very top of their game. 9
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