Earth - Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light II (Album Review)
Monday, 13 February 2012
Written by Ben Bland
Earth have come one hell of a long way. Drone pioneers, they are the band that inspired the likes of Sunn O))) and Om to inflict vast droning swathes of horrific noise upon the world. Yet now, Earth are something more, something different, something new. Earth have evolved into a band that deserve no genre classification or boundary.
It’s hard to summarise what this record sounds like. Last year’s 'Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I' was something of a template. Delicate but powerfully played guitar, sombre cello and steady yet beguiling rhythms. Such a template has been ramped up to the full on this release however, which puts its predecessor in the shade by some distance. There’s tinges of everything Earth have become known for since Dylan Carlson reactivated the project in 2003 but, sadly for some of the harder to please drone fans, this is also a pleasurable listening experience that doesn’t require one to cope with the pure brutality of unrestricted noise.
Closer in many ways to the world of ambient and, dare I say it, modern minimalist classical music, than it is to rock and roll, the likes of 'His Teeth Did Brightly Shine' and 'Multiplicity of Doors' make occasional references to other musical stylings but there I for one haven’t really heard any records quite like this one. Earth are seemingly intent on putting themselves in a genre of one, and with work like this are succeeding defiantly and, perhaps in the light of the lukewarm reception granted to last year’s volume, a little surprisingly. There is little point in me trying to explain any more why you should give this album your time and attention. This is music that takes you places and, if you’re fortunate, it will take you somewhere very wonderful.
'Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II' is out now on Southern Lord Records.
Earth tour the UK in March.
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It’s hard to summarise what this record sounds like. Last year’s 'Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I' was something of a template. Delicate but powerfully played guitar, sombre cello and steady yet beguiling rhythms. Such a template has been ramped up to the full on this release however, which puts its predecessor in the shade by some distance. There’s tinges of everything Earth have become known for since Dylan Carlson reactivated the project in 2003 but, sadly for some of the harder to please drone fans, this is also a pleasurable listening experience that doesn’t require one to cope with the pure brutality of unrestricted noise. 
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