Let’s cut to the chase here, if Barren Earth’s debut full-length release was half as impressive as their 2009 “Our Twilight” EP, then the album would be a rousing success. A band that contains the vocal talents of Swallow the Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki and a mixture of past and present members of Amorphis, Kreator, Moonsorrow and Chaosbreed, should on paper be able to produce an album of titanic proportions; but like so much in life would the reality live up to the hype?

If “Our Twilight” was the appetizer then “Curse of the Red River” is the banquet, excusing the food related puns but what is offered here is a true feast of Metal. You could have expected from the collection of musicians that make up Barren Earth to fuse a raft of styles and genres, what we are presented with is however a hybrid concoction of melodic Death Metal and Gothic Metal with elements of Doom/Stoner thrown in for good measure. While it is grossly unfair to compare bands in the case of Barren Earth it is very difficult not to as they mix so eloquently all that is vibrant from the likes of Katatonia and Opeth while still remaining distinct in their own sound: and in a music scene of over saturation distinct sounds bands to my mind are at a premium.

With so many influences coming together there was a very real risk that the album could have had a Jekyll and Hyde feel, pulling in a million and one directions at once. From the outset Barren Earth demonstrate a controlled pace, the title track opens proceedings with a Doomy eeriness and Kotamäki’s gruff vocals are the perfect foil to the dank guitar riffing; while “Flicker” has more than a hint of Folk influences fused into the Deathly undercurrent. “Curse of the Red River” is as close to a creative melting pot as you’ll find in 2010.

Barren Earth are unquestionably a work in progress and “Curse of the Red River” is by no means perfect, but the flaws are minor and to pick holes really does feel a little like trying to find fault. Progression will be the name of the game for Barren Earth and their biggest challenge is likely to be that they are soon to become bigger than the sum of all their parts. This is a must have for all those who favour their Death Metal dark and brooding, and for those who don’t….give it a shot, you might just like it.