In addition to being the former monicker of none other than
Black Sabbath,
Earth is one of those truly underground cult bands that is often
spoken of in hushed, reverential tones.
Often less a proper band and more a loose project led by Dylan
Carlson,
the group has existed in various forms since around 1990 (with a
definite dormant gap between 1997 and 2003) and while their bread and
butter is drone, they've meandered through several style changes throughout
the years.
Reviewed here are 1996's Pentastar and
2011's Angels Of Darkenss, Demons Of Light I.
Pentastar is one of the more conventionally metallic albums,
relatively speaking, that the band has ever done, a mostly instrumental
foray into some softer doom moments with hints of stoner metal here
and there, and some nods to their more ambient past.
Nothing here is remotely upbeat or even mid-paced, and there's an awful
lot of repetition within each song, but there are some cool fuzzed-out
guitar riffs like the opening "Introduction" and its related reprise
"Coda Maestoso",
as well as some odder moments like the seven-plus minutes of two simple
piano chords that is the entirety of "Sonar And Depth Charge".
By contrast, Angels is a bit more ambient, a bit more relaxed, and
decidedly less metallic, often instead resembling a form of wandering
alternative rock/metal, also virtually entirely instrumental.
With songs ranging from seven to over twenty minutes in length, the
band clearly isn't in a hurry to go anywhere, whcih allow the songs
to subtlely wash over the listener.
Like most bands in this select subgenre, Earth is not meant for
traditional headbanging in the slightest, but given the proper frame of
mind, their songs can set a fine background mood.
