Shuffling the honorees away, we take a longboat to a time-ravaged North, where a compact with Lucifer has been made...
#10
Barren Earth - The Devil's Resolve
European metal supergroups are usually just overinflated ego incubators. Jeff Scott Soto was in Journey once – well he must be fucking royalty. Musos join up to churn out novelty hackery and we all cast our heads down in disappointment. Barren Earth, comprised of ex-Amorphis, Swallow the Sun and Moonsorrow members buck this sorry trend by commiting steadfastly to a sinister concept. Sami Yli-Sirnio feels pragmatic on axe, cognizant he’s backup to ultra-rioter Mille Petrozza (Phantom Antichrist just missed the list, by the by) still immersing us in sensual, leafy strains. They pour into us their alchemical brew of doom, death and prog metal, all slotting seamlessly into their imaginative soundscape.
From the review printed in The Big Issue:
The Devil’s Resolve is a rare record in that you can trust the “super” in “supergroup”.
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The Top 10 Metal of 2012