Artist: Barren Earth
Title: On Lonely Towers
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Release Date: 30th March 2015
Label: Century Media
Album Review
‘On Lonely Towers’ is the third full-length album by a super-group BARREN EARTH, this time with a new vocalist Jón Aldará, who replaces Mikko Kotamäki. They combined 70s prog sound with melodic death metal with some aspects of doom.
The album has a folk-ish, opening, ‘From The Depths Of Spring’, a gentle start with a touch of melancholy, the soft strumming, piano and violin are in some way deceptive for what is to follow. That is not to say that what follows is hard, pummelling monolith to fall on you. Besides, the fragile beauty starts off many of the other songs (i.e. ‘Frozen Processions’) or suffuses them altogether (i.e. ‘A Shapeless Derelict’). The prog elements are not showy but accompany the other genres truly well. The songs also have a feel of good anthems and yet they’re more layered songs to be able to call them that. ‘A Shapeless Derelict’ is a gem of a fusion of Death and Doom; it’s a song also where the new vocalist gets to stand out from then on. A very theatrical song, you can imagine it part of a heavy metal musical. Again, it can be said about the other songs too.
It’s perhaps worth repeating Aldará here because it somehow comes to explain that impression: “There is also a loose concept or story permeating the album, where the songs describe different events surrounding two main characters. One is the hunter, who is attacked and maimed by predators, and the other is a small girl who runs away from her abusive parents. The two of them meet in a vast field on which massive, ancient towers stand deserted in decay. The girl vows to help the man recover in any way she can. It's a concept based on the idea of accepting mortality, which, in turn, is interwoven with a few other associated themes.”
The songs are varied with many aspects that make each song interesting and altogether this is a truly good album to get into. The comparisons with other bands, especially those of which the members originate, are tempting but let’s leave them out. Their creative coming-together is great to listen irrespective. ‘On Lonely Towers’ is an album that grows on you the more you listen to it and it’s one that you won’t regret to have if you already don’t (it was released back at the end of March).
Tracklist
01. From The Depths Of Spring
02. Howl
03. Frozen Processions
04. A Shapeless Derelict
05. Set Alight
06. On Lonely Towers
07. Chaos The Songs Within
08. The Vault
Line-up
Olli-Pekka Laine – Bass
Kasper Mårtenson – Keyboards
Marko Tarvonen – Drums
Sami Yli-Sirniö – Lead Guitar
Janne Perttilä – Rhythm Guitar
Jón Aldárá – Vocals
Websites
www.barrenearth.com / www.facebook.com/BarrenEarth
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8.5
Sound: 9
Total: 8.8 / 10
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