Deleted:Barren Earth
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Barren Earth is a Finnish metal music band formed in 2007. Group's music is said to be a combination of death metal and progressive rock and even folk music.
Barren Earth came up with its debut album in 2010 and for that they won the title of "Newcomer of the year" in 2011 at Finnish Metal Awards.
Contents
History
Primus motor for Barren Earth to see the daylight was bass player Olli-Pekka Laine. In 2007 his then current band Mannhai was moving to an inactive state. He also started to have some musical ideas not quite fitting to Mannhai's stoner rock style of music. He tempted drummer Marko Tarvonen with death metal ideas which was not a hard chore for Tarvonen was eager to team up with Laine, alongside with guitarist Janne Perttilä. Together the men expressed the new band idea to keyboardist Kasper Mårtenson, who joined the group within a week's contemplation. Laine and guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö had at some point been planning of establishing an "authentic" prog rock band. Barren Earth wasn't exactly or solely that, but nevertheless Yli-Sirniö agreed to step on board. The band still was short of a lead singer. They went into the studio and came out with an instrumental demo. Now Marko Tarvonen came up with an idea of asking Mikko Kotamäki, who he had toured with, to take the vocal responsibilities.
Barren Earth was prepared to play some pure serious death metal at the first place. This, however, was not the outcome, because of Kasper Mårtenson. Accordin to Laine, their death metal was to be "some straight growling and sawing", but after Mårtenson had demonstrated his first Barren Earth song (along with the growls and all) to the rest of the band, they desided that Mårtenson's keyboard melodies should become an essential part of the sound. That song was "Forlorn Waves" which ended up to their debut album.
The original plan was not followed what comes to the vocal duties, either. Kotamäki was known for his death grunting, but in Barren Earth we get to hear him sing clean vocals as well, nice and clear. But that's not all of it. Almost every man gives a vocal input to the band. Sami Yli-Sirviö does a great deal on arranging the vocals and harmonies and takes care of a lot of vocal leads alongside with Kotamäki. If Mårtenson had a major effect on music becomming more melodic than what it was supposed to, the way of arranging the vocal duties by the band adds to it.
Recording
It was a happy coincidence the band got signed to the British record company Peaceville Records. Laine had sent a link to band's Myspace site for many a companies and the only one he had an answer from was Peaceville's. Not only was Peaceville interested in the band, they did, but had they also been looking for a Finnish metal group to sign with.
On November 2009 came out an EP Our Twilight with four songs on it. Strangely enough, the same year came out an album by another Finnish band Swallow the Sun, called "New Moon". Some people noticed there a connection to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga of vampires, her novels being Twilight and New Moon. When Laine was asked about that, he said he'd never heard of these vampire movies or books.
At the end of March 2010 it was time to their debut album Curse of the Red River. One of its nine songs was the title song of the previus EP, "Our Twilight". The debut album got a quite nice reception.
It is annouced that on August–September 2011 there's bound to be the second Barren Earth album.
Live acts
In November 2009, right after the EP had rolled out of the oven, Barren Earth made its first gig ever, in the club Dante's Highlight in Helsinki. However, the LP coming up on March 2010, most of the festivals had already been booked bands for the summer 2010. Barren Earth had a gig on Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, though.
On February 2011 Barren Earth got on the road for a five week tour in North America. The tour was under the name "Finnish Metal Tour 2011", for there was other Finnish bands touring with BE as well: Finntroll, Ensiferum and Rotten Sound.
Line-up
Members of the band have known each other for different connections and bands for a long time. The Finnish media has been quite eager to hold a thought of a "superband" when refering to Barren Earth. That's probably because of a list bands each member of the band is connected to currently or in the past, some of them being somewhat notable. But after all, Barren Earth isn't the number one priority band for all of its members for their engagement to other bands. However, this gives an opportunity to BE-members to express such a musical passion or vibrations not quite fitting to their number one priority bands at the time. Barren Earth is down to earth making music out of its own reasons and ambitions, not much paying attention to any bias whatsoever coming from outside.
The backgrounds of the members still do bring along a line of experience to the band. For knowing each other for a long time creates an atmosphere of trust. It has been possible for every single player to take different influences and versatile elements with them to the music. On top of that all of the members have taken duties on composing and/or writing lyrics.
The group has its focus on song writing and publishing albums because of the other bands the members are connected to may come first what comes to doing gigs and going on tours. Members of Barren Earth are or have been engaged to several bands along the years, mentioning some of them: Mikko Kotamäki – Swallow the Sun, Alghazanth; Olli-Pekka Laine – Amorphis, Mannhai, Chaosbreed; Kasper Mårtenson – Amorphis, Mannhai; Janne Perttilä – Rytmihäiriö, Circus of Flesh; Marko Tarvonen – Moonsorrow, Chaosbreed; Sami Yli-Sirniö – Kreator, Waltari.
Members
- Mikko Kotamäki – vocals
- Olli-Pekka Laine – bass
- Kasper Mårtenson – keyboards
- Janne Perttilä – guitar
- Marko Tarvonen – drums
- Sami Yli-Sirniö – guitar
Diskography
Albums
Singles or EPs
- Our Twilight 2009
Videography
- "The Leer" (2010, directed by Owe Lingvall)
