Barren – The Hanged Man Review

It’s no news I love to be surprised, but Barren with “The Hanged Man” did the impossible with its uncanny blend of the simplicity of Doom Metal with the complex atmosphere of Jazz. Yeah, that’s right “The Hanged Man” is an album with both influences and it sounds fantastic. This flamming combination, even though thought to be impossible, makes the album one of the best news of the year.

“The Hanged Man” commences with “Unheard” and all the already features known from Doom Metal. So, there are the opaque guitars with shoegazed and very, very, slow riffing, simple chords played lazily almost stopping the cadance plus some effects that sound so lo-fi. The most common track for a Doom Metal band, I’d say. But things don’t stop right here. Following track “Death Interrupted” starts to change the game with some Black Metal mesmerizing guitar riffs in the beginning, but soon everything changes with the band enchanting what it might some kind of black mass. The guitars go up and down with the speed mixing riffs and bridges followed by the insane drumming that sounds to be out of tempo. In time, Barren start to mix non-Metal effects in the sonf. First as a background and then as part of the song. If you ask me, “Death Interrupted” is one of the most insane and demented tracks I’ve ever listened here. It’s so mesmerizing that almost hypnotized me. But it’s “Ruminations” that adds more and more complex writing to the album. I said complex, but, in fact, the features are purely simple. It’s the addition of them that makes the track complex. Weird album this one. The track goes in a crescendo with some simple strumming that goes repeating the notes hardly. Then comes the opaque guitar with its busted amplifier sound – it’s what it sounds to me. Vocals here are like a chanting again with some melody. Barren spice the track up with some Black Metal vocal features addding some despair to the doe. Sometimes the guitars sound to be so out that they sound to be of this world. “L’appel du Vide” commences as if it were part of a movie. Here Barren add more Black Metal, but some feaures of Atmospheric Black Metal to it. It’s the track that changes the game the most with some horns and all. It’s so weird that it’s so nice. In its twelve minutes the band does it all to surprise even adding some Jazz, which, by the way, is what turns their music so appealing. Here my impressions of the instrumentals are being randomly get stronger and stronger. Around the eighth minute, the track comes with some standard guitar leads and passages even thought the bogger picture tells otherwise. The track is almost Free Jazz inspired. Go figure.

The thing is that Barren add out of the box and random effects to a standard Doom Metal basis. By standard I mean slow and shoegazed with very simple structures. The effects add to the doe the spice needed and make it so tastefull. Other times, as in grand finale “Among the Pines,” I have the feeling somebody is tunning the guitar or simply playing it as some beginner with very poor technique. There are lots of muzak passages in the album and they are one of the desired effects because they add some known sounds to the tracks besides all the crazed atmosphere. Barren deal with crazy and normal all the time. I don’t if it’s possible, but they did it.

My dear child of the night, if you’re looking for something really out the box here I present you Barren with “The Hanged Man.” I’ve never heard something so randomly played that sound so nice. Just loved the album.

Barren “The Hanged Man” will be released on October 31st via Skull House Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Unheard
  2. Death Interrupted
  3. Ruminations
  4. L’appel du Vide 
  5. Among the Pines

Watch official music video here: