On Lonely Towers

Starting life as an offshoot from Olli-Pekka Laine’s other projects, Barren Earth have developed into a strong proposition in their own right. Peddling a kind of progressive metal that owes much to the groundwork of Amorphis and Opeth 20 years earlier, the sprawling songs are capacious enough to include warm folk melodies and raw death metal attacks, meaning that the mood often changes and remains challenging during On Lonely Towers.

With a six-strong line-up, there is a dense musical atmosphere a lot of the time, especially since no band member is content to merely play a supporting role. The keyboards are occasionally strongly reminiscent of Amorphis’s early material, mewling out nostalgic folky accompaniments, though also leading Jón Aldará’s plaintive clean vocals with contemplative piano during 'A Shapeless Derelict'. The bass shines through warmly as one might expect from the band leader, providing the album with a natural hue that allows the drift of the longer songs to occur without damaging the cohesion between ideas, something the varied drumming also assists. The guitars play in a range of different styles, as should be expected of Opeth and Amorphis disciples, sometimes using the long intricate riffs of the former or the more upbeat style of the latter: there are also a few instances of death doom ripped straight from the early ‘90s and other parts that remind of no one in particular, which are paving the way towards a distinct Barren Earth sound.

All this means that the album is loaded with ideas and takes some time before it releases all its secrets. The variety of musical styles that appear in each song means that compositions twist and turn playfully, throwing in momentary diversions along the way. Some of the songs have stronger structures than others, such as ‘Howl’ and ‘Set Alight’, both of which return to their refrain several times, increasing the memorability. On the other hand, the songs toward the end of the album (of which two exceed 10 minutes) have looser structures, spreading out in progressive fashion and requiring the listener’s attention as they lead you on a more intricate journey. That could be a problem for people who prefer their music to bear obvious and immediately tasty fruit, though it's also worth getting used to the Barren Earth taste, which could be palatable to more than just the metal contingent. Despite the fact that some sections fail to leave a definite mark even after a dozen listens, there are many interesting moments, but the highlights must be the hulking doom riff in ‘Set Alight’, the glorious rush of ‘Howl’’s chorus, and the emotional climax to the title track.

As such, there is little to criticize about On Lonely Towers in terms of musicianship or songwriting skills, though there is a nagging doubt about some of the songs that the band said “yes” to too many ideas, overloading parts and affecting the balance between quality and quantity. The reason why ‘Howl’ works so well is that it incorporates all of the band’s strengths yet still manages to remain concise, whereas ‘The Vault’ has a huge instrumental section thrown in that extends beyond five minutes. That instrumental section is by no means poor or boring; it just seems unnecessary, which is a criticism that could be levelled at several ideas throughout the 57 minutes. However, the result is that there are parts of the album that require some patience to appreciate fully - patience that, on balance, is well worth investing.

Originally written for Metalegion magazine issue #2 - www.metalegion.com

I liked Our Twilight and Curse of the Red River well enough, while The Devil's Resolve didn't grab me at all. I didn't have any specific expectations going into this latest work, but found myself pleasantly surprised nonetheless. This album feels much more like a natural continuation from the debut album, despite the line-up changes.

Like the debut album, On Lonely Towers is a heavy, melodic and at times groovy blend of Amorphis' soaring melodies, a multitude of disparate musical ideas strung together not unlike Opeth, a touch of seventies prog rock, and a dose of, well, Barren Earth. The mixture is potent at its best, and somewhat ponderous when the pace is slowed down. Overall, despite featuring deathly growls not too far removed from Swallow the Sun frontman Mikko Kotamäki's on the debut, the compositions on offer are beautiful. The guitar melodies underlying the verse in "Set Alight", for example, are soaring and sweet, not dark or threatening. The keyboard solo (I assume it's a keyboard) later in the same track is reminiscent of the happy melodies Amorphis employed on an album like Elegy, and could just as easily have been placed on, say, a Spock's Beard album or what have you. When the band is at its most non-threatening, I find Barren Earth almost impossible to take seriously; the grit and heaviness of the vocals belies the harmony found underneath; in a way, despite my love for gurgling, and even for music that contrasts between heavy and soft (like Opeth or Amorphis) I find myself not quite enjoying it here; I believe the balance is skewed too much toward the softer, lighter, more beautiful side of the music.

Despite my misgivings I have to recognize the excellent musicianship all over the record, and how they manage to incorporate a lot of different elements and yet melt it down to one signature sound. In the title track, the band reaches a doom-like pace with somewhat darker-tinted melodies immediately drawing comparisons to Swallow the Sun; in "Howl" the band sounds more like Amorphis, with a sweeping clean chorus and growled verses; and so each track has several, different elements. The only problem I have aside from the sweetness is that while it's all interesting and nice, it never reaches the level of excellence already reached by bands playing similar music. Certain parts are certainly extremely well written and performed, like the almost dreamy, atmospheric section beginning halfway through the title track, but overall the songs lack just enough of that magic to make them truly special. In addition, not a song goes by where I'm not hearing a (probably unintentional) reference to similar bands, in particular the already mentioned ad nauseam Amorphis and Opeth.

To the band's credit, vocalist Jón Aldará's work is consistently good, whether he employs his deep growls (which are very similar to Mikael Åkerfeldt's grunts from Deliverance onward, or his more unique clean vocals which occasionally drift into power metal stylings, and sometimes remind me of Garm (Ulver, Arcturus).

It's hard to pick a favorite song here; I find myself rather enjoying sections within each track, such as the heavy, rolling death metal part two minutes into "Chaos, The Songs Within", or the epic verses in "Sirens of Oblivion" (or that jazzy bit with the saxophone, before launching back into unabashed Opeth worship). Being very displeased with Opeth's development from Heritage onward I should perhaps be glad to have On Lonely Towers to scratch that itch; at times it almost feels like the missing link between Ghost Reveries and Watershed.

An atmospheric doom/death album with a hint of folk and a dose of prog rock is how I would describe this album, monumental and melodic, happiness and gloom walking hand in hand, somewhat ponderous, and never wholly original. Still, I admire the skill needed to craft and perform these songs - the drumwork in particular is at times stellar ("The Vault"), and it might just be a grower; it certainly comes with enough frills to warrant repeated listening. A rich musical experience, marred only by a lack of distinctness. Even the proggy bits tend to sound drawn from the same well a band like Dream Theater draws from - but the death metal coating makes it far more palatable.

Barren Earth has established quite the creative universe within the compelling dimension of doom/death metal bands testing the waters of the experimental. Not exactly breaking news that the Finnish group would attempt such a sound while featuring two ex-members of Amorphis, whose procedure has been anything but conservative. “On Lonely Towers” is a grand feast of doom/death metal à la early Amorphis experienced through a scope of progressive elements that course through the album with perceptiveness and delicacy, making something vibrantly isolated yet eccentrically arid among Barren Earth’s counterparts and associates. It has quite the belfry for its own trajectory, running on strange yet compelling mechanisms that set Barren Earth apart from the mundane.

Barren Earth is somewhere between an Opeth that isn’t completely sedated and Swallow The Sun—Mikko Kotamäki was the band’s vocalist for six years, in fact. “On Lonely Towers” features Jón Aldará taking over vocal duties in the place of Kotamäki, who left after a few records. The vocals are an embodiment of the creative landscape upon which these strongholds are planted, featuring little in the way of conventionalism. Aldará applies a hearty combination of low, guttural growls and howling clean vocals that remind me somewhat of the stuff you’d find in Akercocke, minus the Satan. He does well, at times helping to conceptualize the sheer magnitude of the total musical spire, with a vocal performance matching the incredible custom, reaching far beyond what eyes can see.

“On Lonely Towers” is likewise something extraordinary on the musical spectrum. Barren Earth runs less on a style than it does a gamut, moving dexterously across the terrain of a doom/death metal enterprise and a rich progressive landscape. At times the band throws out progressive jams like the stuff you’d find in a Dream Theater album (“A Shapeless Derelict”) while taking hold of blast beats and death metal riffs under different cuts (“Howl”) while all maintaining a central mentality. The nuance placed in the guitar solos and the keyboards plays a vital role in the enriching of the atmospheres of desolation and despair, which are semblances “On Lonely Towers” captures incredibly well. The album is quite long, featuring two eleven-minute behemoths, but the group is so interesting in their surrounding that the long, detailed tracks turning the cogs make the record satisfying from the pretty guitar lines of the opener to the crushing, melancholic melodies of “The Vault.”

I am going to ruin the fun and complain about the production, however. The sound quality is way too polished and synthetic to justly extract the true possibility of these brave, awe-inspiring songs. But if we’re discussing “On Lonely Towers” as a comprehensive unit, then it’s important to understand that the zany and the forlorn both exist in the cohesive membranes of this sprawling slab of progressive doom/death metal. It is the kind of album that requires several rotations to truly grasp, though as calorific as it is, “On Lonely Towers” is a treat, and wouldn’t have been as massive had it been trimmed.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Barren Earth is one of those rare cases of a supergroup actually matching (some might even say, surpassing) the expectations and hip caused by their mere existence. Our Twilight, their debut EP, was perhaps not as impressive as their original line-up, but they definitely made some tsunami-like waves with their first full length, Curse of the Red River, one of the metal highlight’s of 2010. Combining melodic death, doom, and even some tiny splashes of melodic thrash a la modern Kreator with classic 70’s progressive rock in a tasty and successful way, their sleek and compelling sound, though not the most original, placed them somewhere between prog death-era Opeth, similar styled In Mourning, fellow countrymen October Tide, Swallow the Sun, some of the works by sadly departed Sentenced and, certainly, Amorphis. No coincidence in listing those bands, since Barren Earth’s members were or still are in some of them. A Finnish powerhouse indeed, and a prolific one as well, now presenting their third long play, On Lonely Towers.

For this record there has been, however, a tiny but important line-up change. Swallow the Sun’s vocalist Mikko Kotamäki has been replaced by Jón Aldará, a Faroe Islander that has been involved in a handful of band from said Nordic Isles. While he’s much less known that Mikko in the international metal panorama, I believe his strong performance on this album will definitely place his name on the map. He has the ability to pretty much replicate Mikko’s signature deep, monstrous, almost unintelligible growling, while providing powerful, semi-operatic clean vocals which are more in line with Candlemass’ singers than with the man he replaced in this band. I think this is a great change, since they’ll sound less like Swallow the Sun now. With no disrespect for Mikko, Jón seems like the right man for the band and I hope he remains in it for many more years.

As for the rest of the band, they’re spot on, as usual. In fact, musically, I believe this might be the bands strongest effort, so far. 2012’s The Devil’s Resolve was a diminished return for me, but it remains a solid release nonetheless. However, On Lonely Towers masterfully blends everything that worked and was interesting on previous records with some exciting new tricks. A strikingly great, dark, earthly colored surreal image by digital art guru Travis Smith graces the cover, just like on Curse of the Red River. The music within opens with a brief piano intro and a couple of “short”, riff-driven rocking numbers that already show Jón Aldará’s powerful pipes at the forefront. His clean choruses are forceful yet melancholic at the same tame, and highly memorable, while the band traverses varied soundscapes of metal music with ease during a single composition. But as the album progresses, things turn out… EVEN BETTER!

The rest of the tracks are seven minutes long, or longer. All of them showcase the enormous talent this hell of a band has at is disposal. Busy tremolo death riffs, lush keyboards, monolithic solos, gentle and sweeping acoustic guitars and a fluid, organic rhythmic section are some of the strengths of this release. “On Lonely Towers” itself, it’s an enchanting, rock-solid and, well… towering, piece of progressive metal, just under twelve minutes in length, and probably my favorite composition of the bunch. Halfway through the song, Jón changes his voice to a whispering narration, not unlike Agalloch’s John Haughm, showing more of his versatility. It also stars some amazing, extended and very memorable soloing by guitarists Sami Yli-Sirniö and Janne Perttilä. My least favorite tune is the more laid back “Set Alight”, but even that track has its share of fine moments and unexpected compositional twists and turns. Last track, “The Vault”, is another 11-minute behemoth, with a middle section that recalls Canadian power-trio Rush’s prog era and the overall vibe of very recent Opeth. That’s another way to say: classic prog rock magnificently done by a modern metal band.

If you are a fan of the last couple of Opeth albums or the rest of Barren Earth’s catalogue, you’ll definitely love this! I believe any progressive metal and even death/doomsters with a broad taste will find something here to enjoy. The production is phenomenal, dare I even say, flawless. For me, this album will certainly appear on my Best Of list by 2015’s end, a year already teeming with fantastic releases in the international metaldom. I only wish to catch this band on tour and experience this amazing compositions being played in full force in front of a raving mass of metalheads!


Originally written for Metal Recusants [metalrecusants.com]

Barren Earth is a damn good band that really deserves to make a big name for themselves in the metal scene, and hopefully with their third full length album “On Lonely Towers” they can do just that. When these musicians come together from their respective main bands the result is always a masterpiece of melodic death with doom, symphonic, folk and progressive sounds mixed in. This latest album is no exception.

New to Barren Earth is vocalist Jón Aldárá, taking over from Mikko Kotamaki. I must admit that I was very skeptical of how Jón would do. Mikko is one of my all time favourite vocalists so the bar was set very high. I can honestly say that the band chose an excellent replacement. While I am still very sad to see Mikko gone, Jón delivers a performance perfectly suiting the music. He is a natural fit for this band. His growls are similar to Mikko, so there are no worries there. His singing has some similarities, insofar as they also have a deep, rich quality to it. But what is really lovely and sets him apart is the dramatic, almost operatic flair that he has. He also has a higher range, which makes for some really nice melodies, such as in the chorus of the first full song Howl. I can see him doing a great job singing the older material.

The rest of the band is in fine form, as always. Guitarists Janne Perttilä and Sami Yli-Sirniö deliver crushing, melodic and beautiful riffs and passages and the leads are always impressive. Kasper Mårtenson is one of my favourite keyboardists for his use of synth, moog and traditional piano in atmosphere, leads and melodies. Marko Tarvonen is a great drummer and there are plenty of technical and tasteful beats and fills to be found. His drums and cymbals sound excellent. Oppu Laine is a good bass player and I believe he writes the majority of the music. While I wouldn’t say his bass playing is much of a highlight in Barren Earth compared to the other musicians, he is always reliably good. No real complaints here. The production on everyone’s instruments is good and I have no real complaints about the mix.

In terms of the music itself, all the core elements of Barren Earth’s sound are still on display here. For new listeners, essentially you can expect melodic/symphonic death metal driven by lead guitar and keyboard work, progressive structures/playing and a mix of growls/singing. In terms of new elements, as I mentioned Jón’s singing brings a new colour to the bands palette. Any time he sings, it just sounds grandiose. There are a couple songs coming in at over 11 minutes, expanding the band’s progressive sound. They certainly succeeded, as nothing sounds stuffy or boring. Other little new additions are a minute and a half standalone instrumental opening song (entitled From the Depths of Spring), a rock vibe in the verse of Frozen Processions, and Marko does some blast beats in Howl. Overall, this is a nice expansion of the band’s style rather than a drastic departure. It is probably too early to tell what my definite favourite songs are on here, but so far Howl, Set Alight and On Lonely Towers are my stand out tracks.

In conclusion, I urge anyone that is into this kind of music to give this album and band a try. They really are great musicians and song writers who deserve all the acclaim and new fans they can get.