Barren Earth | ‘Our Twilight’

Seeing Dan Swano’s name on the credits in any given album is a badge of quality. It’s not just about the sound, though that’s usually taken for granted. It’s about his choice of clients, and the touch of class and history he brings to them. Almost everything he touches carries over some trace of the mid-nineties European underground, whether the bands were even there or not.

So when an album featuring members from Moonsorrow, Swallow The Sun and Kreator pops up with his name on the nobs, it could’nt be anything other than great.

There are elements here from the bandsmen’s original acts. Truth be told though, this uppety and nicely embellished doom/death sounds like a mix of Amorphis at their best and Opeth circa ‘Ghost Reveries’. Vintage modern, if you will.

I’ve always been suspect of Hammond organs in metal. Spiritual Beggars started it, while Opeth made it an integral part of their sound. Even Enslaved cant get enough of them these days. It strikes me as quite a lazy option in general. Barren Earth use the sound sparsely though, and it works a treat.

There’s a fair bit of mid nineties Sentenced in here as well. That’s apparent in the good hefty chugs that make up the majority of their riffs. They have that same stomp. The band though are keen to wear prog influences on their sleeves, citing Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd, but it’s slightly over-egging the pudding. It’s much more metal than that, and there are few clean or truly proggy moments here anywhere.

Rather, this excellent four track EP is a great display of atmospheric European underground metal. It doesnt have much by passion or true class, but it scores highly on being so totally reminiscent of an older time that it’s extremely hard to dismiss. Simultaneously underground while accessibly rocking (that’ll be those Hammonds), tracks like ‘Floodred’ show both impressive sides of their character.

It’s got the atmosphere of olde doom/death, but the finesse of newer influences. With Dan Swano’s guiding hand it’s just got to be highly recommended - it’s about the best thing in its field since Subterranean Masquerade. There’s even a bit of old Mindrot in here too. Give it a lash.

4.1 / 5 - Earl Grey ::: 09/11/09