Ever wonder what exactly happened to some of grunge's classic bands? Look no further than Earth.
Recently, fans of doom metal band Earth haven't been sure exactly what to expect, and its highly anticipated sixth album, "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I," released earlier this month, continues to surpass expectations.
Founded in 1989 by Dylan Carlson, Earth originally depended on the Black Sabbath−esque distorted guitar sound that bands like Melvins and Nirvana re−popularized. The band rapidly built up a fan base and inspired a number of bands, including Sunn O))) and Sleep. Sunn O))) even went so far as to name itself after Earth's favorite Sunn−brand amplifiers.
But just as Earth's grungy, drone−metal popularity started to gain momentum and a number of imitators, the band went on hiatus in 1996. It returned in 2002 with a noticeably different sound. Drifting away from the traditional territory of doom metal, the band began to incorporate jazz, classical and country into its songs. Incredulous fans might have also noticed that some of its songs even sounded almost upbeat.
From the first dusty notes of Wild West−reminiscent "Old Black," "Angels of Darkness" has steadily, and almost predictably, continued this trend. While Earth's fourth album, "Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method"(2005), foreshadowed the band's increasing obsession with low−key soundscapes, its fifth album, "The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull"(2008), showed the band's increased willingness to wander further and further away from the standard confines of the metal genre.
"Angels of Darkness" possesses a comfortable musical maturity found on none of Earth's previous albums. Earth's earlier music lay barely outside the realm of Sleep's "Dopesmoker"(2003) and Melvins' "Stoner Witch"(1994), but this album is more refined and cohesive. That's not to say that Earth's original sound isn't still there: The music still trudges, drones still lend a subtle but continued presence, and a mere five songs comprise the hour−long album. However, this album's instrumental subtlety draws it particularly far from Earth's roots.
At times, the songs can be slightly unrewarding. Slight emotional variations aside, the songs start to resemble each other. Just as a song seems to build to a climax, it frequently shies away and pursues other directions. Indeed, rather than having the songs progress toward anything in particular, the band seems much more interested in exploring the different instruments' interactions in a drawn−out progression of musical textures. "The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull" exemplified Earth's talent of emphasizing the voice of each instrument, yet "Angels of Darkness" takes rather the opposite approach.
Despite this psychedelic musical doodling, the songs maintain an impressive degree of warmth and depth due to the presence of another, lesser−known '90s icon.
Cellist Lori Goldston, best known for her work with Nirvana, Bush and David Byrne, adds a critical depth to "Angels of Darkness" with sonorous, grinding cello parts that complement the band's guitar work perfectly.
This album's focus isn't on the musical progression within the songs; rather, the songs' structure and merit revolve around the complex, incredibly melodic interactions between the weighty depth of the cello and the comparably soaring guitars. The almost physical presence of the cello and electric bass grounds the songs and leaves the band free to dabble and experiment overhead.
And experiment it does.
On the track "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I," for example, the extreme baritone of the cello is barely noticeable until a few carefully selected inter−instrumental harmonies resolve some particularly experimental sections.
Similar moments of effective tonal disparateness occur on the strangely victorious "Hell's Winter," rescuing the song from sounding exactly like a funeral march.
Though the album's length and lack of predictable song structure may make it difficult for some fans to enjoy initially, these brief, sporadic moments of complete resolution that make all the listening worth it.
Earth may be losing some of its original fans, but the band clearly has a method to its madness. It is hard to believe that grunge and post−rock could ever be effectively reconciled, and yet Earth has done just that. Its change in musical style stays true to its roots, while keeping pace with the thriving modern sub−genres of post−rock and ambient.
Earth still has plenty up its sleeve, which fans will be able to enjoy as soon as next year with its 2012 release of "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II."
