EARTHEN GRAVE is an American band formed in 2008 and is composed of Ron Holzner (Bass), Scott Davidson (Drums), Jason Muxlow (Guitars), Tony Spillman (Guitars), Rachel Barton Pine (Violin) and Mark Weiner (Vocals), some people may recognize Ron Holzner's name from TROUBLE an influential band in the Doom Metal scene and a band that is considered to be one of most important unsung American bands.

Another person worth mentioning is of course Rachel Barton Pine, a child prodigy; she started playing the violin at the age of 3 and has performed worldwide as a soloist with prestigious orchestras at many renowned venues. Barton Pine is responsible for giving EARTHEN GRAVE its unique sound and demonstrating the versatility of the violin. The best example of her work being in the songs "Death on the High Seas" where the violin helps set the tone for the desperation described in this song; "Life Carries On" with the dueling guitar and violin; and of course, being a huge DIO fan especially in his RAINBOW years, I couldn't help but mention her excellent work in one of my favorite songs of all time "Stargazer".

When I first saw the description of EARTHEN GRAVE sound as being a mixture of Doom and Thrash, I was skeptical, "how can two genres completely different one from the other mix?", having listened to the album I can say that my first initial feelings were right, doom and thrash don't really fit well together, but in the words of Jason Muxlow: "It's not about being the heaviest band or the slowest - it's about having good songs and playing them live." (taken from

earthengrave.com/band) And that is precisely what EARTHEN GRAVE has delivered in their debut album: a great Heavy Metal album that made them into a force to be reckoned with.