Perhaps that headline comes as a shock to people who only know Rachel Barton Pine's classical music, but it's no secret that she's a big metalhead. She's recently gotten her hands on a Wood Violins Viper and, as of last January, joined the Chicago-based doom metal band Earthen Grave as a full member. It's easy to see and hear in the video below that with her electric violin, she has no problem holding her own against the other loud amps and the drumset.
This is "I Carry On" from Earthen Grave's April 10th show at The Pearl Room in Mokena, Illinois:
Yes! That song's heavy as hell and rocks like a mammyjammer.
Earthen Grave's past sets have included this song and their other originals "Death on the High Seas" and "Dismal Times" between covers of Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Metallica songs. Vivaldi's Summer is even listed in one of their setlists. I wonder if it was a RBP solo or an arrangement for the whole band?
Everybody in this band is an experienced musician who's been in the business for several years. I've been trying to think of a good way to describe their careers, but this excerpt from their MySpace biography says it much better than I could:
With Mark Weiner on vocals, Ron Holzner on bass, Jason Muxlow and Tony Spillman on guitar, Scott Davidson on drums, and Rachel Barton Pine on an extended-range electric violin, Earthen Grave boasts an undeniable collective metal and musical pedigree. Ron was a member of the seminal and seismic doom pioneers Trouble, with whom he played for over fifteen years. Jason is a gifted guitarist and composer who has lived the music, both as a member of the well-respected band The Living Fields and as the founder of Deadtide.com. Scott's dedication has manifested as a drummer in numerous metal bands, booking shows and running radio station Rebel Radio. Tony has been in and around the metal scene for many years, and has worked with such bands as Trouble, Prong and Ministry. Mark has performed and recorded with several bands including Trifog. And while Rachel has never been in a metal band per se, her status as an internationally acclaimed classical violin soloist has taken her all over the world as both performer and music ambassador. While on tour for classical performances, Rachel often visits rock radio stations to perform metal songs and discuss the music's intensity and compositional complexity.The band is dedicated to exploring new possibilities for the genre. Jason says, "It's not about being the heaviest band or the slowest – it's about having good songs and playing them live." "Scott, Tony and I played doom metal before it was even called that," Ron continues. "And for Jason, the music we pioneered was his influence. We're bringing the strands of the music together – and with Rachel being the first violinist to be a core component of a metal band, we're taking the genre on a new journey." Rachel points out, "I grew up studying classical and listening to thrash and speed metal, and Jason also loves death metal. We all come from doom, but we're not limited to it."
And there you have it. The only thing that bothers me about this bio is when they write that Pine is the "...first violinist to be a core component of a metal band" since that's not true! One doesn't need to look further than this blog for examples of metal bands with violinists who are not only core components, but founders of bands (bands who, by the way, have been around for longer than Earthen Grave). That being said, EG is still a really good band and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them. Find out more about them at the links below:
Photo by Edward Spinelli
