ALBUM REVIEW: A Complex Of Cages – Barren Earth
Over the years Finland has become one of the biggest exports of all things metal and BARREN EARTH (almost a super group of sorts) combines members straight from the top-tier. Consisting of musicians from AMORPHIS, MOONSORROW and KREATOR, the six piece plan to strengthen their grasp with the release of their new effort A Complex Of Cages due for release on March 30th via Century Media Records.
BARREN EARTH waste little time showing off their technical ability as opening track The Living Fortress is brought to life with an enticing blend of smooth vocal passages interlinked with fierce growls, shifting relentlessly between melodic segments and unravelling intensity. Packed to the brim with creativity including furious kick drums, quirky keyboard accompaniments with a little cowbell thrown in for good measure giving A Complex Of Cages a determined sense of purpose from the onset. First single The Ruby saturates the arrangement in infectious grooves with a steady but hammering beat and background atmospherics. Littered with impressive guitar fills the members show that they can collaborate effortlessly and have the capability to throw curveball’s at a moments notice.
Further Down takes a more theatrical approach with ominous, dark keyboard instances to commence the track. The instrumentation shines through as violins, jazzy interludes and 70’s style synths supplement the diverse offering. Zeal slow the pace down with a more theatrical approach of dramatic vocals led by piano work before dabbling in quirky effects and devilish snarls. The death metal influence begins to break through with frantic kick drums and evil sounding shredding.
Scatterprey bursts into life with impressive dual guitar work to open proceedings. Operatic vocals float over the composition before rapidly descending into chaotic bursts of vicious growls and eccentric synths.
Solitude Pith will lower your heart rate with its tense but hesitant pace which is almost metronomic. Subtle vocals break through the Egyptian themed guitar work. The demonic growls are still evident in small fragments as the song begins to gradually up the ante alongside some flamboyant solo work but the track feels rather stretched out at over 10 minutes long.
Dysphoria heads in the same direction with a big build up, acoustic guitars and cymbal crashes for dramatic effect but at times it struggles to maintain your complete focus as your attention waivers.. It continues the theatrical, energetic elements of its predecessors but by this point it feels like a tried and tested method, which is a shame as towards the latter stages there are some moments of brilliance.
Spire pulls no punches as it begins with a crunchy, groove ridden riff and an upbeat tempo. Casting aside the over indulgence in favour of powerful, effective guitar work, providing a well needed respite. Final track Withdrawal feels almost like an opportunity for meditation as it gracefully flows through acoustic guitars and smooth vocals. The track builds up with a final fanfare of intricate riff work and vocal choruses to round the album to a close.
BARREN EARTH have become their own worst enemy with this effort. A Complex Of Cages sets the bar very high very quickly and struggles to maintain it’s own benchmark as the album progresses. Wave after wave of extensive track lengths come your way but at times there isn’t quite enough intriguing elements included to keep you engaged for the entirety of the arrangements. The latter stages feel like they miss their mark in comparison to the strong opening. On a more positive note this is more complimentary to just how good the initial stages really are as opposed to the closing stages being particularly poor. BARREN EARTH display an impressive array of experimentation and instrumentation during this album and it is most certainly worth your time if you love dramatic compositions, intricate guitar work and soulful vocal’s culminating in an inviting slab of progressive death metal.
Rating: 7/10
A Complex Of Cages is set for release on March 30th via Century Media Records.
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