Earth have made good on their promise of a second installment for their Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light album. The Seattle based group led by guitarist/founder Dylan Carlson released the first installment last year, and it was somewhat of a departure for the band. Carlson said he was influenced by British folk for these albums. The keyboards of Steve Moore were traded in for Lori Goldston’s cello. The songs on Angels feel far less desolate than anything found on Earth’s past two albums. Those prior compositions were dense, and filled almost with a sense of dread, as if you were lost in the desert with no water. The songs on Angels are more sparse. The instruments have room to breathe. The guitars have taken on a more clean tone, and are at times even blissful. The overall presentation of these two albums also marks a change. In the past, Earth have employed the artwork skills of Stephen O’Malley, Seldon Hunt and Arik Roper. The Angels are given a unique and colorful visual identity by artist Stacey Rozich.
The opening track “Sigil Of Brass” is a breath of fresh air. At three and a half minutes long, it’s like a nanosecond in Earth time. The song brings to mind rolling green hills and lush pastures rather than tumbleweeds and circling vultures. Goldston’s cello saws in between plucked electric guitar. Drummer Adrienne Davies is Earth’s anchor. Her steady drumming and impeccable timing holds Earth’s lengthy and repetitive songs together. It’s interesting that her percussion doesn’t make an appearance on the album until the third song, “Waltz (A Multiplicity of Doors).” The first 12 and a half minutes of this album are absent of drums, so when they finally kick in they hit hard. Goldston’s cello takes on another form in this song. You can hear the tension of the strings as her bow grinds along them. The cello goes from being an almost frantic buzz to carrying the main melody of a particular part.
The highlight of the album is the second shortest song at 8 minutes, the bass-driven “The Corascene Dog.” Karl Blau’s bass is right up front thudding away providing a solid foundation for an hauntingly beautiful guitar melody to sit atop while the cello glides mournfully in and out.
For fans of the first installment of Angels, this album goes even further with the improvised, spacious compositions. You can look forward to buying this album on Valentines this year on Southern Lord.
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