Barren Path – Grieving (Review)

This is the debut album from grindcore band Barren Path.

Basically brought to us by a mix of personnel from Gridlink and Maruta, Barren Path are here to remind everyone of just how potent grindcore can be when it’s in the right hands. With 12 tracks over 14 minutes, Grieving is a whirlwind of controlled chaos and devastation.

Grieving is deadly. If you think of the Relapse and Willowtip rosters from the 00s, (Cephalic Carnage, Circle of Dead Children, Commit Suicide, Maruta, etc.), then throw in a bit of Discordance Axis, Gridlink, Insect Warfare, and Wormrot, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect on Grieving. It’s old-school deathgrind savagery, enhanced by melody and dissonance in key moments.

The short songs are brutal and nasty, delivering the sort of grinding intensity you thought you’d last heard decades ago. Barren Path dish out the violence with skill and passion, and deliver the style with contemporary ability. It’s utterly brutal, yet there’s nuance and breadth in the guitars, and a memorability that’s absent from much grindcore. The songs are distinctive, driven by fury, and completely convincing.

Basically, Barren Path more than know what they’re doing with this material. This is elite level grindcore. Grieving is superb. For me, Grieving is a reaffirmation of why, when it’s played as competently as it is here, I love this style so very much. It’s rare to find grind as accomplished as Grieving, so you will not want to miss out on Barren Path’s first release.

Essential listening.