Watch: New arrivals on the doom scene, Barren unleash ‘Unheard’

Barren, a doomy metal band from New Jersey formed during the global pandemic of 2020. Over the next few years, they slowly cultivated a heavy sound that, although classic, also shares a very deeply atmospheric feel.

Their debut single ‘Unheard’ begins slowly with a few doom-laden notes delivered in a fairly clean tone, which sets a brilliantly bleak feel in place. It then unleashes an oppressively slow and heavy riff which takes the early Sabbath influence to extremes, fusing the slow tempo with the harder edges of bands like Candlemass and Cult of Luna. This sets their devastating brand of doom in place in record time. Musically, it promises much for fans of the style to love, almost instantly.

The vocal, on the other hand, might be make or break for some. Instead of unleashing the expected deep, gothic croon, frontman Andrew Campbell tops the heavy riff with a scratchy vocal. It’s a performance which really highlights the bleak nature of his chosen lyric, as he tackles themes of isolation and self-loathing, triggered by his own six year battle with heroin addiction. The whole package serves up a doom metal treat, where classic sounds are tempered with vocal moments that occasionally feel better suited to black metal treats, before ‘Unheard’ reaches its even heavier, more oppressive climax with the help of an intense, funereal pace and heavy drum beats – almost as if the already dark melodies are taking their own slow walk to the gallows.

In terms of making an important first impression, this is more than solid, doom based fare. It immediately shows Barren as a force to be reckoned with. Coming into an already heavily populated scene, this is a band with the right mix of atmospheric coldness and intense heaviness to go the distance.

Check out ‘Unheard’ below.