Earth have been around the stoner/drone scene for quite some time, but have been pretty silent for a few years until now with the release of Hex- Or Printing In The Infernal Method, a pretty unique and unclassifiable album. While much of their back catalog owes plenty to bands like Black Sabbath, The Melvins, and Saint Vitus (and no doubt influenced sunn0))) ), this latest recording lays off much of the droning sludge guitar work in favor of a more bluesy, textured sound. At times Dylan Carlson sounds like a cross between David Gilmour and Roy Buchanan, as he creates waves of twangly and jangly guitar chords and lead passages, still played at sleep-inducing speed mind you, but the cavernous effect that he and drummer Adrienne Davies create here is pretty different from what other bands in the genre are doing lately. "Mirage" sounds like some long lost Pink Floyd backing track, while "The Dire and Ever Circling Wolves" is a haunting number that could easily be the soundtrack to some dark Western movie, the perfect backdrop to an impending gun battle.
Hex- Or Printing In The Infernal Method won't be for everyone, as it does get fairly monotonous after a while, but give Earth credit for trying something new here. If you have patience for slow moving and moody instrumental music that fuses heavy rock and blues, you might find this to your liking.
Track Listing
1. Mirage
2. Land Of Some Other Order
3. The Dire And Ever Circling Wolves
4. Left In The Desert
5. Lens Of Uncorrected Night
6. An Inquest Concerning Teeth
7. Raiford (The Felon Wind)
8. The Dry Lake
9. Tethered To The Polstar