Barren Earth - anyone else like these guys (or heard them)?

[MetalAges]

I have an emusic account - I use it to buy digital releases I might not spend full price on (for the physical version). Emusic has a cool thing called "Infinite Discovery" where you give it a band, and it lists bands that are similar and you can preview those releases (similar to the way Pandora works).

Every now and then I come across some gems that I end up getting the CD for.

My newest will be Barren Earth. Logo and band name wise I just kinda wrote it off as death metal, but they popped up as similar to Riverside for me which was baffling, so I checked them out.

Glad I did! I checked out a few tunes from The Devil's Resolve and it's pretty damn awesome. It's like a perfectly mixed stew of death, prog, ambient, symphonic metal. I can see now why it may have popped up alongside Riverside after hearing the full album.

The song playing right now, "The Rains Begin", is very much an Amorphis style tune with those old school analog "moog" synths ala Ayreon.

Anyways, currently can't say enough about these guy so if your tastes wanders over many genres like mine definitely give these guys a listen, especially the album "The Devil's Resolve".

 

[MetalAges]

Quick followup. I noticed Glenn had them on one of his set lists for tracks played between bands, the song "As It Is Written". This tune reminds me a bit of a Ghost meets Amorphis song (musically and vocally).

 

[Mosquito]

The Amorphis influence is very clear, but I wouldn't really call it influence since two of the guys (keyboardist/bassist) are from Tales/Elegy-era Amorphis anyways! Singer is from Swallow the Sun along with guitarists from Kreator and Moonsorrow (live).

Their first album is very old school Amorphis sounding while the newest is a bit more proggier and moving away from an Amorphis sound. Really great stuff for sure.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

Great Edge Of Sanity influenced stuff. You should absolutely check out Crimson and Crimson II by EoS, the progenitor of bands like Amorphis, Barren Earth, Omnium Gatherum, etc.

 

[MetalAges]

The Amorphis influence is very clear, but I wouldn't really call it influence since two of the guys (keyboardist/bassist) are from Tales/Elegy-era Amorphis anyways! Singer is from Swallow the Sun along with guitarists from Kreator and Moonsorrow (live).

I did not know that, thanks!

 

[Creeps]

Is emusic worth subscribing to? How's their metal/hard rock selection?

 

[MGromen]

all the previous info was accurate, ex-AMORPHIS guys alongside current SWALLOW THE SUN guys. Seen them live, acoustic, as well as electric...

check it out: http://www.bravewords.com/features/1001005

album review: http://www.bravewords.com/hardwares/1002041

 

[MetalAges]

Is emusic worth subscribing to? How's their metal/hard rock selection?

Depends on your buying habits/preference. I pay the $171/year fee and get around $20 each month to spend on stuff. The Hard Rock/Metal selection is actually quite awesome and I've found quite a few new bits of Metal with it over the years.

I generally buy CDs, but I use emusic as my old school "looks cool, sounds cool, buy it and try it" outlet.

 

[Diamond45]

eMusic is a great place to get MP3s when you like a band enough to get their music, but not enough to shell out $$ for a full CD. I've been a customer for several years.

Sometimes they get new releases as soon as the CD is released, sometime a little bit later. But it's great going through a back catalog of bands when you discover them (especially when you're learning new bands for the next PP USA!)

 

[Justin G]

That was pretty awesome. I totally overlooked this band previously.