“Wait, wait, Earth? Dylan Carlson’s music child that went from pioneering drone doom to dabbling in experimental psychedelic-country-drone-whatnot? How long has it been since they released anything even remotely attached to metal? Nine years, eighteen years? Surely this review has no place here. This is, after all, Angry METAL Guy: trve, kvlt, ov the underground and all that.” Are you shocked to see an Earth review here? We are too.
“Allow me to give some context: I have much more experience with Sunn O))) than with Ulver. Frankly, Ulver hasn’t really interested me for a very long time. But Sunn O)))’s collaborations have a great track record; their album with Boris was tremendous stuff — experimental music at its finest. And if there’s anything to take from Terrestrials, it’s that music isn’t mathematic and there’s no certainty that with all the right elements you’ll come out with an amazing album.” Can these two titans of weird possibly fail to make an interesting collaboration? Sheesh, is nothing certain anymore?
“Now, where were we? I seem to remember this this great album from an act simply incapable of disappointing. In was the middle of winter and North Korea appeared as a threat to the dumb half of the world’s population. Today, while that same fraction struggles to locate the hemisphere Syria is in, the summer light convulses in his death throes this side of the planet and we take shelter from the impending cold. OK, but what about the music?” The ever mercurial Alex is here to cover the equally mercurial Cult of Luna’s new release, Vertikal II. If you aren’t careful, you may get mercurial poisoning!
“I can’t say I went into this album with much faith considering both Infinity and Ascension, Jesu’s previous two albums, seemed so lopsided and emotionally detached. But fear not, Justin Broadrick, seems to have found his voice again. It might not be all that striking or eventful, but it perfectly encapsulates every musical avenue his Jesu project has travelled in a subtle and concise package that delivers an interesting and touching listen and makes the mouthful, Everyday I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came, one of his strongest releases yet.” Everyone remembers Mr. Broadrick from his Godflesh days, but how is this whole Jesu thing working out for him?
“Images of powerful and positive female sexuality are quite frankly underrepresented in aggressive music, which is why the definition of British occult doom metal band Pombagira is so exciting. The Pomba Gira are entities, associated with several Brazillian religions, who are the embodiments of female desirability, sexuality and strength. Consorts of the corresponding male entity Exu, they represent both power and insatiability.” Natalie Zed gives you the run down on this British doom band, which evokes a side of our world that metal has deigned to touch previously.
